THE poor weather badly disrupted the 102nd Ilkley Open Tennis Tournament and finals day had to move indoors when the rain continued to fall on Saturday when Switzerland's Lorenzo Manta won the men's singles and South African Mareze Joubert the ladies' singles.

It was one of the wettest weeks in the tournament's history and apart from hoping for better weather next year Ilkley officials are considering the possibility of a return to the traditional format of the event if the LTA decides to scrap its grass court satellite circuit.

This could well involve becoming part of the Girobank Tour - a linked series of British tournaments which run throughout the year.

At the close of the tournament workmen moved in to begin a £1.4 million development which will transform the club over the next 12 months. Funded by money from the National Lottery, the Lawn Tennis Association, Barclays Bank and club funds the planned development constitutes the construction of an extension to the exisiting indoor tennis courts with an additional two courts; a new two-storey clubhouse and the refurbishment of the existing clubhouse and squash courts to include a new fitness centre.

Improvements will also be made to the access road, parking and other external works.

Manta, the 23 year-old who played for Switzerland in the Davis Cup against Spain three weeks ago, defeated Belgium's Gilles Elseneer 6-1, 6-4 to win the satellite men's singles.

It was an easier victory than his quarter-final against Briton Jamie Delgado played indoors at the South Leeds Stadium.

In that match Manta was triple match point down at 5-6 in the final set but went on to win 12 points in a row to snatch victory.

In the semi-finals he beat Germany's J Boruszewski 7-6, 6-3 while Elseneer beat Great Britain's A Parmar 6-2, 6-3.

In the women's final the 24 year-old Joubert had a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Warwickshire's Claire Lyte and she also won the doubles in partnership with Banbury's Liz Jelfs. They beat H Crook and V Davies 6-3, 6-4.

In the singles semi-finals Joubert beat Australia's K Hunt 6-1, 6-1 while Lyte beat Russia's Lutrova 7-5, 7-5.

In the men's doubles No 1 singles seed Danny Sapsford, who went out of the singles at the first round to Britain's R Matheson 6-3, 6-2, paired up with T Spinks to beat Australia's L Bourgeois and South Africa's V Snyman 7-5, 7-5.

Other results were:

Men's evening singles - M Lunn beat C Longland 6-2, 6-1. Evening doubles - B Gudzelak and R Oades beat J Onverwagt and N Rosencrantz 6-3, 6-4.

45 and over singles - P Bretherton walk over v A Whitehead. Doubles - A Batcup and Bretherton beat M Howes and S Ross 6-4, 6-4.

55 and over singles - A Batcup beat R Nutall 6-2, 6-1. Doubles - T

Nutall and R Barlow beat B Butler and W Murfitt 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.

Boys: 18 and under singles - D Sanger beat B Fulcher 6-4, 6-4. Doubles - F Adams and J Chesworth beat B Hewer and J Farrar 6-3, 6-3.

16 and under singles - B Pearson beat S Pearson 7-6,. 6-4. Doubles - B Pearson and R Atkinson beat J Yip and R Connolly 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.

14 and under singles - C Parkes beat A Deeley 6-1, 6-3. Doubles - E Quibell and L Archer beat S Thornewill and C Parkes 6-4, 6-0.

12 and under- J Wrisdale beat T Atkinson 6-3, 0-6, 6-2.

Girls: 18 and under singles - J Wright beat N Trinder 6-3, 6-4. Doubles - M Roach and N Trinder beat J Wright and S Flood 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.

16 and under singles - J Wright beat C Wallace 7-6, 7-5. Doubles - A Hartley and E Thomas beat J Batty and S Batty 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

14 and under singles - E Thomas beat C Washington 6-2, 6-2. Doubles - A Chipchase and K Spark walk over v L Harle and R Brown.

12 and under singles - A Chipchase beat F Fletcher 6-0, 6-2.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.