REIGNING champions, Holcombe Brook, got off to a slow start when they were hammered by Leigh CC on the opening day of the BSF Tennis Men's League season.

Brook have not suffered such a heavy defeat in years, raising immediate doubts over their capability to retain their Premier Division title.

Leigh's superb 6-3 victory was led by their top couple, Johnson and Turner, who won all three, with Moores and Westmorland adding another two.

The biggest surprise of a rain-hit opening week, which was littered with shock results and excellent tennis, was the performance of promoted Next Generation (Chorley) A in their first Premier Division appearance.

Last year they just pipped South College B to the top Division Two promotion spot and they have a stronger squad this season in a bid to compete at the highest level.

They went straight to the top of the table when they took apart a good Tyldesley A team with an accomplished performance.

Next G's top couples, Anders and Curren and Brewer and Swarbrick, won all six of their sets and, with their excellent third couple of Barker and Leigh winning two, they ran out 8-1 winners.

South College A team played a steady hand when they visited Lostock A.

Trying to blood some of their younger players in the top flight, the experienced Nick Hinnighan teamed up with Jamie Grimshaw and, after winning all three, enjoyed an impressive season start. Their other two couples each took two, leaving the Lostock team with a 7-2 defeat.

Relegated from the top division last year, Hawkshaw A hit Division Two ground running with an 8-1 demolition job on Bradshaw A.

Another team of notable performance is newly-promoted David Lloyd (Bolton) A, who obviously have strengthened their squad, overcoming Division Two stalwarts Walmer A in style 6.5-2.5.

Two Junior League players saved their Lostock men's B team with a magnificent performance.

Sam Stuart and John Nuttall were in the Lostock squad who visited Longsight Meths A and, when the rest of their senior colleagues were struggling, the young guns stepped up to the mark and were the only couple to win all three matches.

Being a more balanced team, all the Longsight couples scored and, with their sights set on a win, they were thwarted only by Lostock's class junior act that enabled the draw to be salvaged.

Division Three has four teams separated at the top of the table only by sets-difference.

Currently Leigh CC B are top, but they face strong competition from the likes of Elton Vale and South College.

Two abandoned fixtures have enabled single teams to establish a lead in two divisions.

In Division Four, Chorley A easily beat Next Generation (Chorley) B 8-1 and Elton Vale B top Division Seven by two clear points.

New team Ellesmere D, entering in Division Five, ran away with their Guildhall A match and their 6-3 win puts them on top of the division with David Lloyd (Bolton) B and Lostock C in hot pursuit.