DESPITE the wettest April for more than 100 years, all the opening fixtures in division ten of the IT Sports York Mixed Tennis League were completed.

Having an extra team, division ten sides have started a week early and will finish a week later than the rest of the League.

The two teams - Fulford and Sutton-on-Derwent - who finished propping up the League last season both started with big wins. Fulford opened with a convincing win against Strensall 84-24. Strensall, who have entered a fourth team for the first time, found the going hard against a very experienced Fulford outfit.

Sutton-on-Derwent's new team also found that their opposition were showing early season good form when they travelled to Bubwith and lost 82-26. Bubwith's first pair of Alistair Yellup and Jill Schofield winning 33 games.

Wistow and Wheldrake fought out a closer encounter with Wheldrake taking the points in a 72-36 win with their first couple of Don Grent and Joyce Melinson having a successful evening winning 28 games.

Tollerton and Escrick played a much closer match with Escrick taking away the spoils in a match that went down to the final rubbers.

Escrick won the first round with Tollerton fighting back to win the second round and edge to a slight advantage.

The rest of the programme gets underway this week with some interesting tussles likely judging by the early pre-season form of some of the players in various tournaments and competitions.

Division one champions Fulford will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of titles on the bounce with an unchanged side available and already playing well as was obvious in the Fulford Spring Cup.

However, York will be seeking to wrest the title away from them having to relinquish the trophy two years ago.

Much will depend on player availability.

Tadcaster have bounced straight back to division one and will be the team that will be hard to break down with Debbie Young and Jane Firn once again available for selection.

Division two could again be a close affair with perhaps Wigginton the outside bet to gain promotion with a strong nominated player personnel and a good depth of talent - and the added bonus of the new carpet courts.

Bubwith, runaway winners of division six last year, will be hoping to win promotion again and certainly have the squad to go up again.

Division eight will no doubt be a hard fought battle with York and Castlegarth, two teams aiming to advance to a higher division, set to contest the spoils.

The draw for the preliminary round of the York and District Mixed Tennis League Graham Wykes Trophy, to be played by June 18, is: Tadcaster v Civil Service, Rowntree Park v Dunnington 'C', Dunnington 'A' v Strensall I, Appleton Roebuck v Wilberfoss, Stillington v Heworth, Cliffe v Dunnington 'B', Strensall II v Sherburn in Elmet. Bye: Wheldrake.

Handicaps are: Tadcaster -30, Dunnington 'A' -30, Civil Service -24, Rowntree Park -8, Sherburn scratch, Stillington scratch, Strensall I +8, Cliffe +8, Heworth +12, Wilberfoss +15, Dunnington 'B' +15, Wheldrake +15, Strensall II +18, Appleton Roebuck +22, Dunnington 'C' +30.

Deadlines for later rounds to be completed are: first round by August 13, semi-finals by September 10, final on Sunday, September 24 at a neutral venue.