Chipping Campden boost title bid with big victory
CHIPPING Campden boosted their Wildmoor Spa Summer Tennis League Division One title chances with victory over rivals Littleton.
Campden claimed a comfortable 4-0 victory and now lead the table by three points.
Studley claimed a 3-1 victory over bottom team Snitterfield and in doing so climbed to second spot.
Pershore entertained mid-table Stratford Band in defeating them 4-0 moved up to third place pushing Littleton down to fourth in the table.
In the other Division One fixture, mid-table team Ardencote B (19) managed a 3-1 success over struggling Claverdon.
In the Premier Division, league leaders Stratford, still undefeated, never looked in trouble in a 4-0 victory at home to Evesham.
The champions’ top pair, Callum Bailey and captain Tim Page, beat Chris Francis and Julian Heath 6-3, 7-5 and beat Ray Foster-Morison and Simon Wall 6-2, 6-0.
Chris Marrow and Pieter Uys-Barnard beat Foster-Morison & Wall 6-0, 6-0, and beat Francis & Heath 6-2, 6-1.
Alcester A consolidated their second place with this excellent 4-0 home win.
Alcester’s Stuart Beech and Tom Watson beat Ben Summers and Pete Thomas, but only after a championship tie-break 3-6, 6-2, 1-0, before going on to beat Christian Hardy and John Brain 6-2, 6-0.
Alcester’s Alex Woodbridge and Marcus Powell beat Hardy and Brain 7-5, 6-1 and beat Summers and Thomas 6-1, 6-4.
Henley only managed a 2-2 draw with Alcester B.
Alcester’s Charlie Watson nd Pete Watsonbeat Max Retallack and Oli Didlick 7-6, 6-1, but lost to Tom Griffiths and Matt Williams 3-6, 7-6, 0-1.
Gareth Price and Emma Hubbard also lost to Griffiths and Williams 3-6, 3-6, but beat Retallack and Didlick 6-4, 1-6, 1-0.
The final Premier Division match saw bottom side Moreton-in-Marsh claim a creditable draw with mid-table Redditch HDA.
Moreton’s Chris Elliott and Brian Lomas lost to Tomas Cop and Mathew Cutler 2-6, 0-6, but beat Darren Cutler and Terry Iduitua 6-2, 6-2.
Greg Stotebury and Graham Jackson beat Cutler and Iduitua 6-3, 6-3, but lost to Cop and Cutler 4-6, 0-6.
In Division Two, Inkberrow A pulled seven points clear following a 4-0 win over bottom side Studley B.
Second-placed Henley B were surprised by near basement side Snitterfield B who beat them 3-1.
Alcester C stay third, but were outclassed by FISSC, who closed the gap to two points after thrashing Alcester 4-0.
Finally, Claverdon B entertained Shipston A, but went down to Shipston 3-1 and moving the latter up to joint third with Alcester C.
On to Division Three, where previous leaders Chipping Campden B slipped to second after being held to a 2-2 draw by third placed Inkberrow B.
Meanwhile, Redditch HDA B celebrated a 4-0 win over bottom side Claverdon C which jumped the Redditch team to the top of the table.
Inkberrow B had previously enjoyed a 4-0 victory over low-key Aston Cantlow in a rain rearranged match.
Fourth and fifth placed teams Pershore B and Warwick shared the points in a 2-2 draw.
Division Four saw Bidford-on-Avon A extend their lead to 11 points over Inkberrow C.
Bidford beat bottom placed Moreton C 4-0 while Inkberrow C surprisingly lost out to the leaders sister side Bidford B 4-0.
HDA C Redditch stayed third with a good 4-0 win over Wildmoor Spa A. Lastly, fourth-placed Evesham B drew 2-2 with Moreton-in-Marsh B.
The Division Five race became even tighter with only five points separating the top five teams.
They are leaders Shipston B, who lost ground when they drew 2-2 with Wildmoor Spa B and lost 3-1 to Tysoe in a rain postponed match.
Chipping Campden C, following their 3-1 win over Redditch HDA D, and Warwickshire County Council who drew 2-2 away to Tysoe.
Inkberrow D hosted Henley C and they shared in a 2-2 draw.
