TAMSIN Wainwright made a winning return to singles as West Hants booked their place in the National League play-offs after notching their fourth straight win.

The all-conquering ladies beat Taunton 4-2 at home and they will qualify as South West League champions if they win their final match at Ivybridge on Sunday, June 8.

Anna White, 25, set the ball rolling with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-0, victory over Natalie Ayton and older sister Jane recovered from losing the first set against Julie Sinkins to put West Hants 2-0 up with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, triumph.

Twenty-nine year-old Wainwright, playing her first big singles match for six years after injury, then extended the home team's lead with a 6-2, 6-3, win over the highly-rated Maxine Copewell.

After Jenni King went down to higher-ranked player Imogen Wyatt 6-2, 6-4, the White sisters ensured the win with a 6-2, 6-2, doubles success over Ayton and Wyatt.

The only slight disappointment was that Helen Lawson failed to win on her debut losing the second doubles match with former national junior champion Wainwright 6-0, 4-6, 6-0, to Sinkins and Copewell.

Star performer Jane White said: "We're delighted with the win which means we definitely qualify for the play-offs where the top 16 teams are drawn in a one-off match with the winners advancing to the finals.

"If we beat Ivybridge we'll win the league but the draw is a bit of a lottery because the top finishers are drawn against one of the runners-up and it can be an advantage to finish second because some of the top sides don't field their strongest line-ups until the play-offs."

If West Hants reach the finals, they will have home advantage as the decider is being held on Roslin Road clay from September 5-8 where the champion national team will pick up a cheque for £3,000.

South West: Caversham bt Ivybridge 5-1, Bath University bt David Lloyd Bristol 6-0, West Hants bt Taunton bt 4-2.

West Hants men went down 5-1 to league leaders Caesarean of Jersey but team captain Andy Phillips is still confident of making the play-offs.

The under-strength Dorset side picked up useful points on the island thanks to the doubles victory of Phillips and Bournemouth Tennis Club coach Matt Coombes - and several other matches were close tussles.

Number one Peter Shaw went down fighting 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 against former Wimbledon doubles quarter-finalist Paul Hand while Phillips lost to Rhys Hanger 6-2, 7-6, after failing to convert three set points in a tight second set.

After Coombes was outmuscled 6-3, 6-2, by James Smith, club coach James Pankhurst started well against Pablo Giacopelli before losing his momentum and going down 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

In the doubles, Hand and Giacopelli defeated Shaw and Pankhurst 6-3, 6-3, to make it 5-0 to the Channel Islanders but Commbes and Phillips avoided the whitewash by producing the performance of the day to beat Hanger and Smith 6-3, 6-3.

"I'm proud of the way the team peformed," added Phillips.

South results: St Georges Hill bt Sodbury 6-0, Bath University bt Cardiff Castle B Knights 6-0, David Lloyd Bristol bt Mackintosh 5-1, Esporta Royal Berkshire A bt Taunton 6-0.