The Northumberland County side, promoted to the first division of the County Championships last season included the Cleveland player Joe Clark who is at Newcastle University for the first session of matches along with Graeme Barella, Andrew Wilkinson, Christine Burke and Lynsey Storey and they made a good start with two victories and one draw from their first three matches.

In the Northumbria League Premier Division hat tricks by Wilkinson for NESLC Eagles and Barella for Mount A team  gave their sides 7 - 3  victories over Saint Columba's  and Mount  B team  while three from Chun Yin Yu helped NECA to a narrow 6 - 4 win over St Chads.

First Division Newton had two narrow wins against Matfen Centurians and Tyneside TTC when John Russell won five of his six singles. Yao Li was in form for NECA B team with a hat trick against Prudhoe and District United Services to see his team home 6 - 4.

Ouston B are in second place in Division Two after an 8 - 2 success against Cramlington Reivers when Kevin Richardson was on song with three singles wins and the doubles with Tom Fowle.  Keith Hodges was player of the match as Matfen Tribunes accounted for Ouston A  and Trojans Alastair Johnson got a hat trick in a draw with Old England FATTS.

The clash of the top two teams, Newton B and Matfen Whitley Chapel in Division Three ended up all square with Ian Armstrong of Newton and Peter Seago and Stefan Sobell of Whitley Chapel all managing two singles victories. In the same division the young Cramlington Falcons side accounted for Matfen Cohorts 7 - 3.

Norman Badger, Lewis Kilkenny and Harry Veitch were all unbeaten for Ouston D as they beat Tyneside C 9 - 1 in the top of the Fourth Division clash while  youngster Noah Rutherford caught the eye when he won all of his matches for the Lions in drawn match against Newton C.

Aubrey Drapkin