In the first round of matches, Taunton’s 1st pair of captain Matt Bernard and James Deem beat Exeter’s 2nd pair 7-6, 7-5, while 2nd pair Bruce Wheatley and Craig Phillips lost a cliffhanger to Exeter’s top pair 6-2, 4-6, 6-7. The final two matches both went Taunton’s way: 6-3, 6-2 to Bernard/Deem and 6-2, 6-1 to Wheatley/Phillips.
The team play Esporta Cardiff next. The next home fixture is against Bath University on Sunday 22nd November at 10am on the indoor courts at Blackbrook. “Cardiff knocked us out of the play-offs last year,” said Taunton captain Bernard, “and it’s crucial we beat Bath if we want to get into the play-offs again.”
The win against Exeter follows an excellent 2008-09 season, in which the team reached the last 32 in the country in both the summer and winter competitions.
Three of the eight teams in the South West Region group go through to the national finals and play-offs. Bernard expects Esporta Cardiff and David Lloyd Westbury to be the main threats.