Lee and Rooney lead Warwickshire to thrilling victory

STRATFORD Tennis Club coach Steve Lee teamed up with county captain Nathan Rooney to inspire newly-promoted Warwickshire men to victory over Leicestershire on day one of the Aegon Inter-County Tennis Championship at Hunstanton.

Lee and new county skipper Rooney clinched two crucial rubbers to lead Warwickshire to a thrilling 5-4 win.

Lee, 34, who is about to start a new career as a physiotherapist, was playing in his 18 County Week and produced some of the biggest serves of the match.

Rooney, suspecting that he and Lee as a ‘veteran’ partnership might struggle physically later in the day, had cannily arranged his pairings so that they played the two lower-ranked pairs first – and duly achieved the vital wins.

With several big names including Dan Evans, Maniel Bains and Mason Recci unavailable, talented teenagers Ben Brewster, 15, from Coventry and 17-year-old Karan Tumblr improved visibly throughout the day, but found their opponents’ extra power and experience too much to handle.

Junior international Bjorn Thomson, who is now studying at Texas Tec on a tennis scholarship and the big-serving Richard Partridge, a coach at the Virgin Active Tennis Centre in Coventry, showed their class, producing three fighting victories to ensure overall victory.

With the entire match evenly balanced at four rubbers apiece, they were a break down in the second set against their opposite numbers before breaking back to level at 5-5, before winning the next two games in style to snatch the set and the match.

“Everyone kept battling away, even in the tightest situations” said Rooney,

“Steve served and volleyed superbly. He’s been a great servant of the county over the years and he seems to be enjoying the cut and thrust of County Week as much as ever.

"He and I were tiring a bit come the third rubber of the day but luckily we’d already won the two that mattered.

"Bjorn and Richard were a real class act, spurring one another on and it was a huge relief to win such a tight match, even though we’re missing several of our top players.

"We’re gunning for our second promotion in a row to try to get up into Group 3 by the end of the week.”

Meanwhile, Warwickshire's women's side lost out 5-4 to Kent in the elite Group 1 at Eastbourne.

Coventry's Soumeya Anane and former Stratford coach Natasha Hillyer performed heroics on the day, winning all three rubbers at first pair, but it could not prevent defeat.

Hit by several last-minute injury drop-outs, captain Katie Shaw called in a handful of youngsters to make their senior debuts unexpectedly - sisters Kate Malazonia, 17, and her 14-year-old sister Tamara, plus Coventry’s Lizzie Massie, 16, and Holly Reid, who is coaching at Moseley.

Junior international Alannah Griffin, from Solihull, battled hard, partnering Kate Malazonia at second pair, but the duo could only win one out of three.

“I was pleased that our youngsters weren’t overawed by what was a real baptism of fire,” said Shaw.

“They really got stuck in. Soumeya and Natasha did superbly to win three out of three, and our newcomers will learn a lot from their clever tactical play and consistency.

"Just staying up in Group 1 would be a major feat this year.”

Results

Group 4 Men’s Championship at Hunstanton - Warwickshire beat Leicestershire 5-4 (Warks names first)

Warks 1st pair Ben Brewster/Karan Tumblr lost to Thomas Kisiel/ Sam Preston; lost to Jack Simpson/Marc Westgate; lost to Benjaming Mullis/Matt Richmond 2-6 4-6

Warks 2nd pair Richard Partridge/Bjorn Thomson bt Leics 1 pair 6-3 7-6; beat Leis 2nd pair 6-3 7-5; beat Leics 3rd pair Benjaming Mullis/Baraby Thorold 6-4 3-6 6-1

Warks 3rd pair Steve Lee/Nathan Rooney lost to Leics 1st pair; beat Leics 2nd pair 7-6 6-4; beat Leics 3rd pair Mullis/Thoroid 6-4 6-7 6-3

Aegon County Cup Group 1 Women's Championship - Warwickshire lost 5-4 to Kent

Warks 1st pair: Soumeya Anane/Natasha Hillyer beat Kent 1st pair Sarah Cantlay/Holly Richards 6-3 6-4; beat Kent 2nd pair Florence Abbot/Mia Smith 7-5 6-3; beat Kent 3rd pair Jacqueline Darby/Sophia Thomas 6-3 6-1

Warks 2nd pair: Alannah Griffin/Kate Malazonia lost to Kent 1st pair 2-6 4-6; beat Kent 2nd pair 6-3 7-5; lost to Kent 3rd pair 5-7 3-6

Warks 3rd pair: Holly Reid/Lizzie Massie lost to Kent 1st pair 2-6 0-6; Holly Reid/Tamara Malazonia lost to Kent 2nd pair 6-7 2-6; Reid/Malazonia lost to Kent 3rd pair 2-6 1-6