ASHLEY Brooks and Andy Bray maintained their top tennis rankings after their singles victories at the Island Construction Open at Pomander Gate last weekend.

Both enjoyed comfortable wins in the finals, Brooks overcoming Morgan Lightbourne 6-4, 6-1, and Englishman Bray crushing Chilean Ben Ureta 6-1, 6-1.

But because of the way the rankings work, Heineken Open champion Lightbourne could overtake Brooks after next month's Argus Open, if she can reach the final ? even if she loses to Brooks again in the title decider.

Brooks' problem is that she has so many points to defend.

BLTA ranking administrator Johnny Moore explained the maths. "When 2004's Argus points are discarded, Ashley has 1,500 points and Morgan has 2,070," he said.

"Even with a full-points 2005 Argus ? points available are variable dependent on the strength and depth of entry but subject to a 1,600 maximum ? a win would give Ashley 3,100 and Morgan, as runner-up, would add 1,088 for 3,158.

"Remember that the rankings reward year-round, successful participation in local tournaments, hence those based overseas are at a disadvantage."

In men's singles, Bray's has cemented his top position by a huge margin after his power tennis earned him his third straight tournament victory.

Jenson Bascome, unlucky victim of James Collieson in the Island Construction quarter-finals in a fully-loaded draw which produced many excellent match-ups, holds on to number two.

But most of Bascome's points come from last year's Argus win, which will give hope to close challengers number three David Jenkins (who was inactive at Pomander), number four Collieson, and 2004 Pomander champ Gavin Manders at number six.

Manders found wily veteran Michael Way "way" too much to handle while attempting to defend his Island Construction crown.

Sixteen-year-old Thomas rounds out a strong leaderboard at number five, but despite the service and forehand weapons he possesses, David has more to learn about the successful balance between power, aggression, patience and consistency to seriously threaten the top-guns. B winner Vaughan Burrows vaults himself from 29 to 14.

Other movers amongst the women include B winner Louisa Friesenbruch who leaps to number eight, veteran semi-finalist Liz Osborne (better known for her hockey exploits) improving to number three, with diminutive teenager Cayla Cross, showing persistence, patience and pace around the court, reaching number four.

The team of the tournament in ladies doubles was young Morgan Lightbourne and Jackie Lambert. They succeeded in the the strangest result of the tournament in overcoming Osborne and Friesenbruch 0-6, 6-0, 7-5, then powered past veterans Gill Butterfield and Kelly Holland in three fluctuating sets, and just fell short at the final hurdle by a few key points in each set against highly favoured defending champions Laverne Stowe and Brooks.

Stowe returns to number one with Brooks close behind, the two "Jills", Butterfield and Finnegan, drop to three and four, with Lightbourne and Lambert at five and six. B winners Kietny Chrun and Clare Warburton move all the way up to joint 22nd.

The men's doubles is becoming almost boring (in a Federer sort of way) ? there's nobody around to touch the power and brilliance of James Collieson and Andy Bray, who have won everything official they have entered in the last 18 months, 24 months for Andy.

Island Construction victims were the game Roger Marshall and Mark Cordeiro who put up an entertaining show in a good-natured match despite some interesting umpiring decisions.

Manders and Thomas did threaten the champions in the semis by squeaking the first set tie-break, but ultimately succumbed to the onslaught.

Significant movement in the rankings is limited to former number one Cordeiro reappearing at number eight, Marshall bettering Manders for number three, with the inactive former number one and mutiple past champion Bascome slipping to number nine.

Colie Place's surprise semi-final appearance after many many years boosts him to number ten, tied with partner Will Fawcett and Thomas.

In mixed doubles, the sixth-seeded scratch team of Liz Osborne and Gavin Manders provided most of the excitement, blitzing by Heineken champs and second seeds Morgan Lightbourne and David Thomas in the quarters, then knocking off the third-seeded Jill Finnigan and Roger Marshall in two very close sets in the semis.

They could not come close to reproducing that form however against the power and spin of top-ranked Zarah DeSilva and Ben Ureta in the final.

Morgan has the consolation of moving to the top ladies mixed ranking, closely followed by Zarah, deposed queen Laverne Stowe (a tight first-round loser with veteran Jerome Bradshaw to Finnigan and Marshall), and the other semi-finalist Gill Butterfield who this time partnered wily Sam Maybury, followed by Osborne.

Gavin's final appearance gained him the top slot in the men's category, hotly contested by David Thomas and the inactive Jenson Bascome.