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Week 6 of the South Warwickshire Summer Tennis League saw Stratford-on-Avon looking strong contenders to retain their crown and still not conceding a single rubber in another 4-0 win, this time over previously second placed Shipston-on-Stour. This enabled Claverdon to overtake Shipston and claim second spot when they defeated Stratford B 4-0 and also Alcester move up to third even though they were held to a 2-2 draw by Evesham. Shipston slipped to fourth place in the Premier Division as a consequence of these results.
Stratford A dropped only seven games in disposing of their nearest challengers Shipston. Simon West & Callum Bailey (Stratford) beat William Welch & Tobias Kemp (Shipston) 6-1, 6-1, and beat James Hudson & James England (Shipston) 6-1, 6-0. Stratford captain Tim Page & partner Cameron Malik beat Hudson & England 6-0, 6-1, and beat Welch & Kemp 6-2, 6-1.
Claverdon travelled to Stratford B and pulled off a good victory to keep their improving performances in recent weeks going. Their top pair Ben Summers & Pete Thomas beat Richard Monk & Ed Bosley (Stratford B) 6-0, 6-0, and then beat Sam Wilks & Sam Righton (Stratford B) 6-3, 6-0. Claverdon captain Richard Butler & Carsten Astheimer narrowly defeated Wilks & Righton 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8) in a Tie-Break before taking maximum points by overcoming Monk & Bosley 6-4, 6-3.
Alcester were held to a draw by Evesham, but were celebrating second place in the league after probably the closest match of the season so far. Stuart Beach & Gareth Price (Alcester) squeezed a victory over Andy Crowther & John Clarke (Evesham) 7-5, 6-7 1-0 (10-6) only with a Championship Tie-Break decider. They then lost to Chris Francis & Ray Foster-Morison (Evesham) 5-7, 4-6. Pete Watson & Matt Poole (Alcester) lost in another tight match to Francis & Foster-Morison 7-5, 5-7, 0-1 (6-10) but claimed the final rubber by the narrowest of margins against Crowther & Clarke 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6).
In Division One Bidford-on-Avon stay on top with a 14 points. This despite their match against Studley having to be postponed due to their courts being repainted. However, Chipping Campden closed up a place to second only a point behind after overcoming Inkberrow 3-1. Littleton also climbed up one place to third with 12 points after celebrating an excellent 4-0 win over the previously second placed team Ardencote Manor who have now dropped to fourth. Finally in a match played a week early, Studley and Whitnash shared a 2-2 draw, a result which lifted Whitnash off the bottom of the table and above Inkberrow.
Division Two is so close that last weeks joint leaders Claverdon B, who had no fixture this week, dropped to fifth place as the teams around them picked up valuable points. Aston Cantlow leaped to the top of the table on 13 points following a 4-0 victory over Alcester B who were unfortunate to suffer an injury to one of their players. Ullenhall stay second two points behind the leaders following their 2-2 draw with fourth placed Stratford C. Snitterfield jumped from fifth to joint second spot thanks to a 4-0 straight sets win over bottom team Littleton B.
Studley B had no fixture last week but remained top of Division Three with 20 points. However, second placed Chipping Campden B moved to within two points of Studley by beating third placed Shipston B 3-1. FISSC of Stratford with 11 points also closed up to within a point of Shipston B by beating relegation candidates Ilmington 4-0. Finally, Henley B celebrated their first victory with an important 3-1 result over bottom side Wildmoor Spa B, who only had the consolation of their first league point. Henley B however remain in the relegation zone.
Division Four saw Inkberrow B maintain their 7 point lead at the top with 23 points after they had a good 4-0 result over previously second placed and unbeaten Snitterfield B. Moreton-in-Marsh took advantage to leap frog Snitterfield into second spot when the former convincingly beat Pershore B 4-0. Near the bottom of the table Inkberrow C and Campden C shared the honours in a 2-2 draw, while Alcester C and HDA Redditch met resulting in a 2-2 draw.
Ardencote Manor B pulled two more points clear at the top of Division Five following their straight sets 4-0 drubbing of Henley B in which Ardencote conceded only two games in the entire match. HDA B Redditch stayed second but now lay four points adrift on 15 points after being held to a 2-2 draw for a second week in succession, this time by fourth placed Claverdon C. Studley C stayed third but closed up to trail HDA B by only two points after beating Bidford B 4-0. Finally, Wildmoor B stayed fifth with a 2-2 draw with Moreton-in-Marsh B.
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