The Penultimate Week 13 of the season for the South Warwickshire Summer Tennis League saw Stratford-on-Avon crowned as Champions for the eleventh season in succession, a record for the league. Their emphatic 4-0 win away to runners-up Littleton (32 pts) emphasised how deserved this title was as they lead the Premier Division by 10 points with a week of the season still to go. Alcester on 27 points stay third three points above Evesham after they drew 2-2 with each other. Henley-in-Arden and Claverdon stay locked with Evesham in equal fourth place with 24 points after they too drew 2-2 with each other. Finally, The two relegated sides met and honours were again even in a 2-2 draw between Shipston-on-Stour (15 pts) and Chipping Campden (13 pts).
Stratford celebrated their Championship in style with a comfortable victory over Littleton. The strong Stratford pairing of Callum Bailey & Rob Slatter, back together after a number of years, beat Andy Reynolds & Simon Blewitt (Littleton) 6-3, 6-3, & beat Dave Rudge & Richard Herborn (Littleton( 6-0, 6-2. Stratford captain Tim Page & Simon West beat Rudge & Herborn 6-4, 6-4, and beat Reynolds & Blewitt 5-1, 6-2.
Alcester made a claim for third place in the Premier Division by holding off Evesham to a 2-2 draw. John Clarke & Andy Crowther (Evesham) beat Tim Price & Tim Kenneally (Alcester) 7-5, 6-2, but then lost a tight rubber to Gareth Price & Sam Allum 5-7, 6-2, 0-1 (7-10) on a tie-break. Simon WalÍ & Ray Foster-Morison (Evesham) lost to Price & Allum 0-6, 4-6, but beat Price & Kenneally 7-5, 6-2.
A mid table tussle between Henley and Claverdon finished all square. Neil Supperstone & John Hunt (Henley) beat Pete Thomas & Andy Ashley (Claverdon) 6-3, 6-2, and beat Richard Butler & Carsten Astheimer (Claverdon) 6-1, 6-1. Brett Mackay & Joe Adams (Henley) lost to Butler & Astheimer 3-6, 4-6. and narrowly lost to Thomas & Ashley 3-6, 6-1, 0-1 (5-10) on a championship tie-break.
The final Premier Division match saw another draw between the bottom two sides but it was very closely fought. Geoff Vaughan & Josh Thomson (Campden) beat William Welch & James Hudson (Shipston) 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8). They then had another close rubber before beating Andy Botting & Tom Coyte (Shipston) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (11-9) on another tie-break. On the other court Mark Jepson & Tim Jones (Campden) lost to Botting & Coyte 6-1, 4-6, 0-1 (3-10), and lost to Welch & Hudson 1-6, 6-7. . ..
In Division One Ardencote Manor were crowned as champions with 35 points despite being held to a 2-2 draw by second placed Inkberrow. The latter are still battling for promotion along with Ardencote but with 28 points only lead third placed Studley by one point. For their part Studley kept up the pressure with a 3-1 victory over relegation candidates Alcester B (14 pts). Pershore will finish mid-table (23 pts) after drawing 2-2 with Aston Cantlow who stay just a point above the drop zone with 15 points. Bidford who had no match this week lie bottom with 12 points.,
On to Division Two and Studley B confirmed their promotion as winners of the division with 33 points and a 3-1 win over last but one side Chipping Campden B (19 pts). They also drew 2-2 in a rain re-arranged match with Whitnash. Snitterfield B in second spot had no match and were caught on 24 points by Stratford B when they drew 2-2 with fourth placed Claverdon B (23 pts). Whitnash had a massively important 4-0 win over bottom side Shipston B which kept them three points above Campden B and may well see them avoid relegation.
Division Three saw both promotion places decided with HDA A Redditch unable to be caught with 30 points and Moreton-in-Marsh A on 29. HDA overtook Moreton to the top after beating relegated side Littleton B (9 pts) 3-1. Meanwhile Moreton could only gain one point in a surprise 3-1 defeat to relegation battling Henley B. Inkberrow B lie third on 25 points thanks to a 3-1 win over mid-table FISSC (21). Ilmington had no match and lie equal with Henley B (18 pts) on the brink of relegation. .
In Division Four .previously declared champions Ardencote Manor B relaxed into a 2-2 draw with mid-table Alcester C (20 pts). Wildmoor Spa A overtook Snitterfield B who had no match to take second spot with 28 points one ahead of Snitterfield. Wildmoor's points came from a 2-2 draw with bottom and relegated HDA B (9). The race to avoid the drop between Claverdon C and Pershore B became tighter as Claverdon beat Pershore 4-0 and are now tied with Claverdon just above the drop on 18 points each.
Finally, the Division Five champions were announced as Studley B on 37 points with an emphatic 4-0 win over joint bottom team Moreton-in-Marsh B (15 pts). Chipping Campden C had no match and have been caught on 24 points by Inkberrow C who are also keen for promotion. Inkberrow have made a late surge with first a 3-1 win over Henley C in a rain re-arranged match and then a 4-0 victory over bottom side Wildmoor B (15). Finally, in a mid-table clash Bidford B (22) beat Henley C (19) 3-1.