Day One Lincs v Bedfordshire
The Bedfordshire team looked to be the toughest match of the weekend on paper.
Starting off in the singles for Lincs at seed 6 was Andrew Isaac who comfortably saw off his opponent 6-1 6-1.
At seed 5 Ed Colclough, despite winning the first set 6-4, lost the next two 0-6 3-6 in a very good match.
At seed 4 Lewis Fisher produced a tremendous display beating his opponent 6-0 7-5 in what was a vital win!
At seed 3 Henry Beesley looked in for a tough time having being outplayed in the first set losing it 6-2, but due to great mental strength and a few tactical changes, fought back tremendously to win 2-6 6-3 6-2!!
Joe Woolley at 2, produced a professional and classy display to see off his opponent in straights sets, but unfortunately at seed 1, Dom Beesley went down in 3 sets to former Orange bowl junior winner Josh Sapwell, in a very high standard match, leaving the score at 4-2 to Lincs after the singles.
Happily the 3rd and 2nd pair doubles of Seb Darke & Andrew Isaac and Joe Woolley & Lewis Fisher recorded great wins, especially Seb and Andrew who won from a set down, and although beaten in the first pair doubles, Lincs got off to a winning start, 6-3.
Day Two Lincs v Staffordshire
A good start with Andrew, Ed and Henry all winning their singles at seed 6, 5 and 4 seeds respectively. (Andrew and Henry both showing excellent battling qualities to win from a set down!)
Harry Burley playing at seed 3 recorded a convincing 6-0 6-0 victory over his opponent and Joe Woolley produced just as convincing a display in a straight sets win, leaving Dom Beesley to wrap up the tie with a three set win, at 1, eventually closing out the match 6-0 in the final set! 6-0 up after the singles the tie was over but three very good doubles performances saw Lincs post a convincing 9-0 win on the day.
Day Three Lincs v Cornwall
So, onto the final day against Cornwall needing a win for promotion.
Ed Colclough this time playing at seed 6 won his rubber convincingly to start the team off brilliantly. Unfortunately Lewis Fisher wasn’t able to see his match out after winning the first set, eventually losing 6-1 in the final set. Henry Beesley playing at 4, pulled off a fantastic 7-6 in the third set win, in what was a very tense and much needed match, to once again show some fantastic battling qualities, for his third straight three set triumph!! 2-1 up Harry again strolled through his singles and two good performances from Joe and Dom saw Lincs achieve the 5 rubbers needed for promotion, a doubles win for the excellent pair of Seb and Andrew rounding off a resounding win!
All the lads involved should be massively proud of themselves, not only for the tennis but for their behaviour on and off the court and for making the weekend as a whole a really enjoyable experience. Let’s hope this is the start of the boys moving up and up through the groups, which hopefully is achievable!! Congratulations to them all!!
Ed Allinson