Champions prove too strong for Alcester B
WEEK four of the Wildmoor Spa Summer Tennis League saw reigning champions Stratford-on-Avon retain their lead after beating bottom club Alcester B 4-0.
They lead the table with 15 points, four ahead of second-placed Ardencote Manor with 11.
Stratford continued their unbeaten run with a straight sets win over Alcester B.
Callum Bailey and Andrew Helby (Stratford) beat Gareth Price and Jack Herdsman (Alcester B) 6-1, 6-3 and beat Matt Fielding and Barney Williams (Alcester B) 6-1, 6-3.
Pieter Uys-Barnard and Simon West (Stratford) beat Fielding and Williams 6-0, 7-6 and beat Price and Herdsman 6-4, 6-3.
Ardencote Manor continued to challenge Stratford with another valuable victory, 3-1 over third-placed HDA Redditch.
Jack Smith and Christian Hardy for Ardencote beat Tim Bradley and Tomas Cop (HDA) 6-3, 6-1 and beat Lubo Smoliar and Ben Portman (HDA) 6-3, 6-1.
Ben Summers and Pete Thomas (Ardencote) beat Smoliar and Portman 6-4, 6-1, but lost out to Bradley and Cop 6-7, 2-6.
Joint third-placed Henley-in-Arden keep knocking on the door thanks to their 3-1 win at Evesham.
Brett Mackay and Sam Turner (Henley) lost to hosts Chris Francis & Andrew Crowther (Evesham) 2-6, 1-6, but defeated John Clarke and Julian Heath (Evesham) 6-3, 6-2.
Oli Didlick & Tom Griffiths (Henley) squeezed past Clarke and Heath after a championship tie-break decider 6-3, 3-6, 1-0. They went on to beat Francis and Crowther 6-2, 6-3.
Finally, in the Premier Division, a surprise result as bottom placed Moreton-in-the Marsh held Alcester A to a 2-2 draw.
Skipper Brian Lomas and partner Greg Stotesbury (Moreton) lost to Marcus Powell and Charlie Watson (Alcester A) 2-6, 5-7, but then beat Alcester captain Duncan Robinson and Barney Williams 6-2, 6-1. Chris Elliott and Gary Jackson (Moreton) beat Robinson and Williams 6-4, 6-4, but lost to the Alcester first pair Powell and Watson 1-6, 1-6.
In Division One, Chipping Campden just managed to retain their unbeaten record after drawing 2-2 with second-placed Pershore.
This ensured Campden stay top of the table with 13 points while Pershore have nine points.
Studley moved up to join Pershore in second thanks to a well-fought 4-0 result over Ardencote Manor B.
Three teams are in joint fourth with eight points apiece and they are Claverdon, Littleton and Stratford B.
Claverdon beat bottom team Snitterfield 3-1, and Littleton overcame Stratford B 3-1.
Shock of the week came in Division Two, which saw leaders Henley B go down to Alcester C 3-1.
Henley still lead with 13 points but now four teams, Inkberrow A, Alcester C, FISSC and Shipston-on-Stour have closed the gap.
Inkberrow A sit second with 11 points as they easily overcame Claverdon B 4-0.
The other three have nine points apiece. Shipston’s move upwards was thanks to an emphatic 4-0 victory over bottom side Studley B. Similarly, FISSC enjoyed a 4-0 win over Snitterfield B.
In Division Three, HDA B of Redditch are joined at the head of the table by Warwick, both on 12 points.
This is because while Warwick celebrated a comfortable 4-0 win over bottom side Aston Cantlow, HDA B were defeated 3-1 at home by Chipping Campden B who, with this result, move up the to fourth.
Inkberrow B also moved up the table following their 4-0 straight sets victory against Claverdon C.
Newly-promoted Bidford A continued their recent form and stretched their lead in Division Four to four points.
They did this by beating mid-table HDA C of Redditch 4-0. Inkberrow C moved up to second following a 3-1 win over Evesham B (5).
Wildmoor Spa A lie third on 11 points as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Moreton-in-Marsh C.
Bidford B claimed their first win of the season to lift them off the bottom when they beat Moreton-in-Marsh B.
In Division Five, Shipston-on-Stour B and Chipping Campden C both remain first and second respectively, despite dropping points in 2-2 draw.
Shipston’s was away to Henley C and Campden’s away to Tysoe, so Tysoe are in fourth place with this result.
Warwickshire County Council move clear in third place after they beat HDA D Redditch 3-1.
Finally, Wildmoor Spa B moved up to fifth thanks to a 3-1 victory over Inkberrow D.
