The Inter-League Charity Cup Tennis Final took place at the Wildmoor Spa and Health Club, Alcester Road, Stratford-Upon-Avon last Sunday between Stratford-on-Avon representing the South Warwickshire Summer League and Leamington Spa representing the Stratford and District Winter League. The balls were supplied by "Inspire2Coach" based at Warwick University.
This is the thirteenth year of this competition between the two leagues the winners of which decide the fate of the £100 cheque donated by the leagues. Summer League Champions Stratford fielded their four players Callum Bailey partnered by Club Coach Graham Adams while the Stratford captain Tim Page partnered Sam Carvill. For the Winter League Leamington fielded captain Richard Butler & Tom Mill, while Ross Boyd partnered Romain Jalard.
The last two years had seen these two teams fight out tremendously close contests and this final was no exception. There followed some excellent close tennis which belied the two set score lines in each rubber, as every game took an unusually long time to complete such was the competitive nature of every point contested. Stratford's Page & Carvill eventually claimed victory over Leamington’s Butler & Mill 6-3, 7-6. Meanwhile on the other court Stratford’s Bailey & Adams finally had to suffer defeat to Ross & Romain 5-7, 6-3, 0-1 (5-10) after a championship tie-breaker. This left the score line at one rubber apiece.
After the change around the tennis was just as tight before Bailey & Adams made up for that loss overcoming Butler & Mill 6-1, 6-4 in what sounded like a far easier match than it was. This gave Stratford a 2-1 lead. Finally, Page & Ross succumbed to Ross & Romain 5-7, 3-6 in another epic to give a 2-2 rubber score after three hard hours of tennis. So in the tightest of finishes it went to count back on sets which saw Stratford lift the cup with a slender lead of 5 sets to Leamington’s 4. Stratford had retained the Charity Cup for the Summer League to add to their Summer League Premier Division title for 2013.
The Cup and individual awards were presented by the President of the Summer League Tony King from Alcester who had sponsored the day. While the Secretary of the Winter League Alan Colbourne took their turn to donate the £100 cheque to Stratford who donated it to the Starlight Foundation Children's Charity. Also present were Tony Eskew Secretary of the WLTA and Chairman of both leagues and Anthony Bird the Summer League sponsor and host of the Final.