The mix of old heads and young talent paid off for our teams in the Aegon Winter Inter County Cup.
The men, with a home fixture at the Tarka Centre in Barnstaple, were up against Somerset, Cornwall and Northamptonshire.
A close 5-4 win over Somerset on day 1 was a great start but Cornwall on day 2 were just that bit too strong taking the tie 5-4. Day 3 then started with Northants on two wins with Somerset yet to draw blood and Devon and Cornwall on 1. Devon was sitting 3rd in the table on statistics but all was to play for in the final match against Northants with the result of the Cornwall v Somerset match also deciding final standings.
After the singles Devon were 4-2 up and Somerset and Cornwall were on 3-3. Some great doubles saw Devon win 7-2. Meanwhile in the other match Somerset just prevailed over Cornwall 5-4.
So, after some intense tennis and some absolutely outstanding doubles, Devon gained promotion to Group 4.
Team: Linden Hardisty, Jack Large, Buzzy Avis, Rhys Dunford, Alfie Flatters, Pat Daykin, Andy Higham, Lewie Parker. Captain - Justin Kraushar Read full report
Our ladies team, playing at Taunton and with a similar mix of youth and experience, had a flying start beating Cornwall 7-2 on the first day, then Suffolk 7-2 and rounded the weekend off with a 5-2 win over Shropshire with no need to play all the doubles rubbers. Promotion won!
Team: Emily Syms, Beth Cooper, Emma Hurst, Kendal Brown, Abigail Skelley, Sue Wiltshire, Jo Louis. Captain: Kate Brown.