All four age groups came to a conclusion, and none were better than the Mens 55+ age group, which saw Bedfordhsire up against holders Nottinghamshire in a straight head-to-head on the last day.
In a repeat of the last match of the season last year, when despite not losing a match, Beds were pipped to the post by Notts, there was everything to play for. The Notts team of Eddie Fox and John Taylor (capt), and David Carter and Nick Lodge proved to be just too stubborn in their defence and ended up securing a 4-4 draw in sets against the Beds team of Dave Rawlinson & Ian Holt and Richard Braithwaite (capt) & Steve Timms. This was enough to ensure winning the division on sets won throughout the season 34-6 for Notts and 31-9 for Beds. Both teams remain undefeated for two years – so next years encounter should be just as exciting! The other two men who made up the winning Notts squad were Nick Shelvey and John Kingston.
In The Ladies 50+ League, Lincs got their revenge on last years winners Notts on the last day, with an 8-0 win. This saw Lincs take the title, having won all their matches apart from one draw with Warks earlier in the season. The Lincs 50+ Ladies team was made up of Margaret Fincham & Mandy Lawrence and Mellony Milner (capt) & Ruth Hume.
The Ladies 40+ League was also won by the team who finished second last year, Cambridgeshire. Captained by Caroline Thornton who played with Leslie Birch, and their first pair of Fleur Clegg & Christime Sprowell. Going into the last match knowing they needed victory to wrestle the title from Lincolnshire, they came through to win 6 sets to 2.
In the Mens 40+ League, it was down to the wire again, with last years winners Cambridgeshire up against last years runners up, Northants. The Northants team being captained by Neil Shorrock were boosted by the return from long-term injury of Stuart Wetherell, and joined by Tony Pratt and Tim Graham. Hewever, Cambridgeshire proved to be their equal and held Northants to a 4-4 draw, so the team of Alan Leeder & Scott Martin and Gary Keens (capt) & Hugh Tomlinson took the trophy back to Cambs by virtue of a superior set score over the season.
There are one or two places available in some divisions for next winter, so if any Counties are interested in joining, they should contact the event organiser, Craig Haworth on 01536 407851.