Week 12 - South Warwickshire Summer Tennis League

Monday, July 16, 2012
Week 12 - South Warwickshire Summer Tennis League

Week 12 of the season for the South Warwickshire Summer Tennis League saw several teams declared champions of their divisions. That honour is on hold in the Premier Division where leaders Stratford-on-Avon had no match this week. However, they had advantage of seeing their nearest rivals Shipston-on-Stour drop points in a 2-2 draw with fifth placed Henley-in-Arden. Shipston, lying in second place, needed to win this match in order to stay in with a chance of catching Stratford. This results mean that with only one match and four points left on offer they trail Stratford by five points and can only hope now for the runners-up spot. This left Alcester as the only team mathematically able to depose the champions. However, they were also disappointed to be held to a 2-2 draw by Stratford B, which means that Alcester need to win their two remaining matches and for Stratford A to drop all their points before they could tie with the champions. The final Premier game saw mid-table Claverdon entertain relegation candidates Evesham. The resulting 2-2 draw meant Claverdon secured their position in mid-table while Evesham still trail Stratford B by one point and stay in the relegation zone.

A crucial meeting between the top two teams in Division One which could have decided this title took place between Chipping Campden and Littleton. leaders Littleton managed an invaluable victory 3-1 away from home to lead the table by four points with two matches to play. The only consolation for Campden is that they claimed a vital point and have a match in hand over Littleton. Third placed Bidford-on-Avon were at home to bottom side Whitnash and their 3-1 win gave hope to their promotion hopes. Whitnash could only field one pair and were docked a point by the league Fourth placed Ardencote's match with relegation threatened Inkberrow was rained off. These results still saw Inkberrow and Whitnash facing the drop to Division Two.

On to Division Two which saw three important matches. With leaders Aston Cantlow without a game it was imperative for contenders Alcester B, who were two points adrift, to gain ground away to Claverdon B. In the end they the match was rained off so the suspense continues. Mid-table Ullenhall's 4-0 beating of Littleton B pushed them into promotion contention while confirming the latter's relegation to Division Three. The final match was a battle to see who may be joining Littleton B in Division Three next season as Stratford C and Snitterfield A met. Stratford C gained a 3-1 win which saw them pull three points clear of Snitterfield and left them looking nervously at relegation.

An exciting Division Three title match up between the two top sides Shipston B and Studley B saw honours shared in a 2-2 draw. This meant that Studley B are declared champions with 39 points and promoted to Division Two. Shipston B however, still have a real battle on their hands with Chipping Campden B who are now only a point behind and a game in hand with no fixture this week. The other two matches were all about confirming relegation as mid-tabled Ilmington and FISSC played bottom two teams Henley B and Wildmoor A respectively. As it turned out Wildmoor A were forced to pull out of the league due to injuries to their squad of players, meaning that not only was the match awarded 4-0 to FISSC, but also Wildmoor's last two opponents, Henley B and Ilmington, were awarded 4-0 walkovers from their two fixtures to come. Wildmoor's previous league results stand as they had completed more than 75% of their fixtures. The final week's result saw the Ilmington -v- Henley B match rained off. None of the above results changed things except as expected Henley B and Wildmoor A are relegated.

In Division Four Inkberrow B and Moreton-in-Marsh A are locked in a tie for the title. They met at Moreton for a possible decider. Inkberrow had won at home in their early season clash but it was Moreton who took the 4-0 win this time on their home turf. This result left them equal top with 37 points apiece but with Moreton having a game in hand. Both sides however, can celebrate promotion as the only team who could catch these two on paper was HDA Redditch, but their 2-2 draw with Campden C meant they missed out on promotion. In a battle to avoid the other relegation spot Alcester C were to entertain Inkberrow C but the match was rained off. Lastly, the mid-table match between Snitterfield B and Pershore B was also rained off.

Finally, in Division Five Ardencote B were crowned as champions after beating Moreton B in straight sets 4-0. This gave them an unassailable lead with 46 points. Redditch side HDA B on 30 points were due to travel to fourth placed Studley B but the match was rained off. This meant that Claverdon C in drawing 2-2 away to Bidford B was enough to lift them a point above HDA and into second spot. This result was also enough to lift Bidford-on-Avon off the bottom of the table. Finally, Wildmoor B met Henley C resulting in the latter climbing above their opponents when Henley C beat Wildmoor B 3-1.

 
 

WARWICKSHIRE | TENNIS

Warwickshire LTA
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Priory Road
Birmingham B15 7UG
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warwickshirelta@gmail.com