BROTHERS John and Alex Moore served up a great men's singles final in the City of York Tennis Championships at St Peter's School on Sunday.

John came from a set down to beat his younger brother 4-6 6-3 6-1 on a boiling hot afternoon.

Left-hander Alex, 21, who is studying at the London School of Economics, used his serve and volley game to good effect to take the opening set with one break.

His 25-year-old brother, who is awaiting his exam results from York College of Law, clawed his way back by taking the second set with just one break of serve before easing home in the decider.

It was a match of high grade tennis and gave John his second singles title following his success in 1998. He had knocked out champion Phil Langley 6-1 6-1 in the semi-finals while Alex, the top seed, put out fourth-ranked Tito Latoja 6-2 7-5 to book his place in the final.

John, who avenged his 2000 semi-final defeat at the hands of Alex, said: "It is a bit weird playing your brother. I lost the first set but I managed to turn it round somehow."

The Moore brothers then teamed up to contest a cracking doubles final and beat Andy Cooke and Paul Blackett 7-6 6-2. Cooke was bidding for his tenth men's doubles title, many of them achieved with Steve Smith, who was ruled out of the championships this year with an ankle injury.

Cooke did win the mixed doubles title with tournament referee Margaret Whitehead by beating Wigginton pairing Langley and Danielle Baker 7-5 7-6.

Jill Rounce (Fulford) retained her ladies singles title by defeating Helen Leach 6-2 6-3 in a final which contained several long rallies.

Rounce had beaten Fulford's Eleanor Crooks 6-3 6-4 in the semis while Leach defeated Fulford team-mate Di Ekers 6-1 4-6 6-1.

Rounce and team-mate Jill McCreedy provided an upset in the ladies doubles by defeating specialists Louise Lister and Wendy Stirke (York) 6-3 6-2. However, Lister and Stirke did win the Veterans' Over-40 title.

Geoff Drabble, a newcomer to the championships, who plays for Boston Spa and Next Generation, whitewashed Neil Storey in the men's over-45s singles title.

His son Gareth made it a family double by beating Craig Jackson 6-1 6-3 to win the Under-16 boys' crown.

Although entries were relatively low and the championships were played over just four days, referee Whitehead was pleased they way things went at the nine-court tennis centre at St Peter's.

"It was great to have the junior competition running at the same time. That is they way it should be," she said.

"We have had some excellent matches and great weather."

The championships have suffered from an alarming drop in players in recent years, but Whitehead believes the competition is back on the up.

She revealed that funding was in the pipeline to improve the courts at Rowntree Park, where the championships have been staged for many years in the past and a return to the municipal courts next year may be on the cards.

Updated: 08:58 Monday, July 18, 2005