HOLCOMBE Brook Sports Club Ladies enhanced their claim as the most successful team in the country when they clinched the National Club League Tennis finals at Bournemouth.

The Longsight Road outfit first won the prestigious tournament in 1993 and were runners-up in 1995 and 1996.

This year they defeated Loughborough University 4-2 in a hard fought final after seeing off Huddersfield 4-0 in the quarter-finals and host club West Hants 4-1 in the semis.

The final went right to the wire as Rachel Anders, Holcombe's number four, lost the first singles match 6-2, 6-3.

Number three, Alison Smith, who played in the 1993 winning team then won in two straight sets to level the score.

Abigail Tordoff, the club's number one and British number four, then gave her side a 2-1 advantage defeating former Lancashire champion Gail Atherton in an easy 6-2, 6-1 victory.

However, number two, Julia Lutrova had a tremendous three set victory against Loughborough's former top British player, Ann Simpkin, winning 7-5 in the third set to put Holcome 3-1 up.

The doubles then followed: Tordoff/Anders were defeated in two sets and an epic battle ensued with Holcombe's number two pair Smith/Lutrova winning two sets to one 6-4 6-7 7-5 to take the British title for the second time and the £5,500 prize money.

The club were the only team to boast both women and men's teams in their respective finals and the men suffered an unfortunate draw against David Lloyd Derby in their quarter finals and went down 4-1 to the number one seeds.

However, Mark Schofield was awarded Player of the Tournament after beating British number five and Davis Cup player Mark Hilton in three sets.

In the play-offs Holcombe defeated Royal Berks 4-2.

Schofield and Knowles, who has been a revelation this season, winning both singles followed by doubles success for Schofield/Knowles and Openshaw/Roberts to win prize money of £1,900.

The success of the team cannot be emphasised too much when you consider they were against such giants as the David Lloyd organisation, Royal Berkshire and Queens Club.

The club wish to thank their sponsors Thompson Gorton Jones Accountants and Rayson Wilshaw Estate Agents who helped provide the funding necessary to compete at this level.