Cornwall Ladies Tennis team are beaming after winning Group 7 of the AEGON Summer County Cup in Poole Dorset, after a very wet week.
They beat five other counties in the group and have been promoted to Group 6.
Undefeated on the first four days and a 5-1 victory over Suffolk on the final day ensured they won the Group as they did back in 2006.
The team led by Captain Dinah Crellin (Newquay) with Sarah Arnold (Truro), Hannah Brownlee (Penzance), Zoe Lee (Penzance), Vicki Terry-Short (Newquay), Claire Tresidder (Newquay), Emma Welch (Newquay) and Emily Wicks (Truro).
AEGON Summer County Cup, or County Week as it is affectionately known, has been running for more than a century. The event involves forty-four counties or regions with around six hundred players competing at thirteen venues across Britain.
In total there are seven mens and ladies groups which are all contested at the same time at different locations. Each group has six or eight teams with matches taking place in a round-robin format. A match consists of nine rubbers with three doubles pairs from each team playing against one another. At the end of the week-long competition, the top two teams are promoted and the bottom two teams are relegated for the following year.
Severe rain delayed play for several hours during the week and consequently forced most matches to be shortened. However, the sun eventually made an appearance in the latter part of the week.
Dinah said “The ladies managed to get the first day’s play on the grass court but torrential rain sent them to the rain- proof Astroturf for the rest of the week. We were lucky to be playing at a venue with these courts available.”
“Looking around on Monday the Cornwall team appeared to be one of the better teams, having come down from the higher group last year, but the ladies still had to get the job done.”
Cornwall ladies enjoyed a comfortable win on day one. They powered through the day, without losing a set against Cumbria. Vicki Terry Short partnered Zoe Lee, Claire Tresidder partnered Emily Wicks and Hannah Brownlee partnered Sarah Arnold. Match result 9-0.
On day two rain swept across the country. Matches were delayed and left some group results in the balance. The Astroturf which was a luxury afforded by the East Dorset Lawn Tennis and Croquet club allowed Cornwall to continue. The opponents were South of Scotland who had lost to Isle of Man the day before. Without a single complaint the Cornwall ladies played in the rain with difficult winds adding to the conditions. Because of the weather all matches were shortened with a 3rd set championship tie break in place. Zoe and Vicki lost the only set of the day grinding out a long three-setter winning 11-9 in the third set tie break. Their experience shone through. A small team change saw Emma Welch replacing Sarah Arnold playing with Hannah. They rattled off three wins in straight sets losing only seven games all day. Another 9-0 match victory for the team.
Next up on day three were old rivals the Isle of Man. On the Astroturf again and playing in gale force winds the Cornwall ladies were dominant. They dropped only one set, and went into the top box with confidence to play for promotion. Match result 9-0 to Cornwall.
Day four opponents were other old rivals; the team from Wiltshire. They have had a strong tennis pedigree in recent years but this did not put off the Cornwall ladies who won the day convincingly seven rubbers to two. Small blips came from Zoe and Vicky losing to a strong pair, who displayed awesome volleying, and Hannah and Sarah lost to Pair two. They also played strong volleys and powerful baseline tennis throughout the match.
Despite these two losses Cornwall was now guaranteed promotion. The ladies were now playing to win the group on the last day. They were brimming with confidence and only Suffolk stood in the way of winning. They were potentially the toughest opponents of the week. Cornwall’s good form continued with five comfortable wins and inspirational play from all the team. They played the best tennis of the week winning the match 5-1, crowning them the Group 7 winners.
Dinah was delighted and said, “After relegation in both previous summer and winter campaigns this win was a great relief for us all and well-deserved. It was a great team effort and I am very proud of them. I think they were calm during the matches this year. They are experienced players who cope well in tight situations and that is a strength. New and old faces came together to win by large margins every day.”