Copmanthorpe have taken the lead in division five of the IT Sports Mixed Tennis League after wins at Cliffe and Fulford.

Karen Hornby and Graeme Butcher were top scorers in both matches, winning all three rubbers in Cop's 61-47 victory over Cliffe and 23 games in the 66-42 triumph over Fulford. Sutton on Derwent hold the key to promotion as they have to play both Fulford and Copmanthorpe.

Riccall won 61-47 with Sam Lochman and Mark Goddard winning most games ahead of Pam Lochman and Chris French.

York maintained their good run in division one by defeating Fulford II. Jenny Ashley and Steve Smith won 32 games with good support from Caroline Lowe and Paul Whurr.

Tadcaster continued their fight against relegation with a 66-42 win against Dunnington led by Lorraine Pearey and John Rutherford who won 30 games. Tadcaster are out of the relegation area for the first time this season.

The division two title showdown will be played tomorrow night when leaders Wigginton entertain Popple-ton.

Wigginton won 69-39 against Rowntree Park with Ann Mead partnering Phil Langley to top score with 26 games.

Poppleton beat Sherburn 79-29 in a good overall team performance headed by Hilary Spencer and John Anderson.

Civil Service's win at York III pushed York into the relegation zone.

Bubwith have sealed promotion from division three with a 86-22 win at Poppleton, who are relegated. The second relegation place is between Riccall and Bishopthorpe, with the match between the two clubs on Thursday crucial to their survival. Bishopthorpe forced Riccall into the penultimate place after their win against York 57-51.

Castlegarth beat Riccall 65-43 with Sue Perkins and Rob Osborne and Sue Jacklin and Roger Wright both winning 25 games. The title will be decided when Sutton on Derwent and Bubwith play their match which was rained off earlier in the summer.

Dunnington lost their unbeaten record against promotion hopefuls Selby, going down 62-46. Nicola Mooney, playing her first match of the season, teamed up with Steve Parr to win 23 games.

Wheldrake kept second place with a 73-35 win at Wigginton led by Jackie Williamson and Dave McDermot.

Division six has six contenders for promotion with Heworth in the lead after beating closest rivals Wigginton 59-49. Heworth took a lead in the first round with top scorers Alison Ward and Alan Bradshaw winning their first rubber 10-2.

Fulford are two points behind after winning against Appleton Roebuck to confirm Appleton's relegation. Victory was spearheaded by Beryl Bean and Leo Waters with 29 games. Dunnington are in the hunt after a 55-53 win against Rowntree Park.

Despite the absence of Carol and Matthew Ward, Strensall made division seven leaders Civil Service fight all the way for a 62-46 win. Strensall's Sue Tymon and Greg Reid were unbeaten, winning 23 games, but another good team performance by Service saw them seal the points.

Sutton on Derwent are finishing strongly and moved into second spot after halting New Earswick's hopes of promotion with a 62-46 win. Sutton then beat Rufforth 76-32 with Sally Simpson and Dave Nowell top scoring.

Tollerton moved off the bottom with a 58-50 win against New Earswick.

York have taken a step closer to securing the division eight title with a 61-47 win at closest rivals Bubwith. The ever-consistent Rosemary Littlefair and Roger Burton top scored.

Tadcaster moved out of the relegation places with a 70-38 win at Dunnington, who are rooted at the bottom.

Cliffe have ousted long-time division nine leaders Fulford from the top spot after Fulford lost 58-50 to Civil Service. Fulford's senior pairing of Jeanne Loadman and Terry Haw were unbeaten with 25 games. Jean Haw had a good first game of the year partnering Ben Robinson.

Cliffe consolidated their lead with wins over Civil Service (62-46).

Updated: 12:01 Tuesday, July 30, 2002