Ilkley want to upgrade their tournament, but might have to wait until at least 2005 - providing Wimbledon moves back a week - if they want to be in the frame to host a pre-Wimbledon warm-up event.

There has been talk for many years about the gap between the French Open and Wimbledon being widened to give players more time to adjust between slow clay and fast grass.

But in late June, All England Club chairman Tim Phillips said, after agreeing with the other Grand Slam tournaments that 32 players could be seeded and that court surface would be taken into consideration, his next objective was to have Wimbledon played a week later.

That would create an extra week of grass-court play between the end of the French and the start of Wimbledon, and Ilkley are certainly interested in hosting a Challenger-level tournament then - one tier below the Grand Prix.

But there are many hurdles to get over before Wimbledon shifts - not least because the Americans would fight any change tooth and nail as it would lop a week off their seven weeks of summer hard-court tournaments.

Other potential obstacles could well come from TV companies - Wimbledon would then be in competition with Royal Ascot which would affect hospitality packages - and the caterers.

And even if the switch occurs, there may be other tournaments in Britain that want that slot.

Ilkley could then find themselves opposite Queen's or Halle, either of which might upgrade to Masters Series level - one notch below the Grand Slams.

Ilkley were hoping any change might happen sooner than 2005, but they certainly want to upgrade the tournament from its current Tier Two Girobank status to Tier One for 2002.

The weather certainly shone on finals day on Saturday, rain clouds narrowly avoiding the club until the tournament was all but complete.

Yorkshire's only hope of a senior title ended when Scarborough's Ben Riby was beaten 6-4, 6-4 in the men's singles final by Norfolk's Richard Bloomfield.

"I found it very difficult to break his game down because I wasn't returning well," admitted Riby.

It was Bloomfield's second Girobank Tour title following a victory last autumn at Cambridge, and he now seems to have passed Riby having lost to him five times out of seven as a junior.

"I need to fill out because I have grown tall quite quickly, and hopefully I can continue my progression," said 6ft 2in Bloomfield.

The men's final in the Skipton Building Society-OHS backed tournament was a battle of 18-year-olds, but the women's title went to 17-year-old Warwickshire left-hander Luisa Cowper.

Third seed Cowper, who hardly made an unforced error in the 45 minutes, defeated second seed Sarah Borwell (Durham & Cleveland) 6-2, 6-4.

Borwell, 21, had the stronger serve and the harder forehand, but rarely extended a rally beyond six shots because of mistakes.

Cowper, who played for Rawdon two years ago in the Premier Division of the National Women's Club league, said: "I didn't play any stupid shots, I played sensibly - something I have been doing for a few weeks now."