Wildmoor Spa Tennis Men’s League – Week 11

With three more weeks still to go, Week 11 of the Wildmoor Spa Men's Tennis League was enough for Stratford-on-Avon clinch their fourteenth successive League Championship after registering a 4-0 win over fourth placed Evesham (23) and amassing an uncatchable 40 points in the Premier Division table.  Ardencote Manor (26) and Alcester (24) are still competing for the runners-up spot.  Ardencote comfortably beat equal fifth placed Henley-in-Arden (17 points) 4-0 while Alcester surprisingly went down to the other joint fifth placed team Moreton-in-Marsh (17) 3-1.  Finally, in the Premier Division the penultimate side Studley kept their hopes of avoiding relegation alive with 16 points, one below the other two teams, by beating bottom club Claverdon  (6) 4-0.

Stratford fielded new pairing Chris Marrow with Will Morley-Cotterrell who took both their rubbers in straight sets beating Simon Wall & Chris Francis (Evesham) 6-3, 6-2.  They then beat John Clarke & Julian Heath 6-1, 6-2.  Stratford’s other pair Callum Bailey & Simon West did even better dropping only one game over the two rubbers.  They beat Clarke & Heath 6-0, 6-0, and beat Wall & Francis 6-1, 6-0.

Ardencote Manor trail Stratford by 14 points with only 12 on offer for the remainder of the season.  Nevertheless they were impressive in their 4-0 victory over Henley.  Best pair on the night for Ardencote were Ben Summers & Myles Wilcox-Smith who had two straight sets victories over Tom Griffiths & Tate Marcus (Henley) 6-2, 6-3, and then over Brett Mackay & Sam Turner (Henley) 6-4, 7-5, John Brain & Jack Smith.  John Brain & Jack Smith (Ardencote) beat Mackay & Turner 6-1, 7-5, and beat Griffiths & Marcus 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 after a Championship tie-break.

Alcester slipped badly in their 3-1 defeat to Moreton-in-Marsh.  The latter’s Gary Jackson & Elliott James beat Harry Morley Cotterell & Barney Williams (Alcester) 6-0, 7-5, and beat Tim Kenneally & Tom Edmunds (Alcester) 6-2, 7-5.  Moreton captain Brian Lomas & Chris Elliott lost to Kenneally & Edmunds 4-6, 6-3, 0-1, but bounced back to beat Morley-Cotterell & Williams 6-4, 6-2.

Finally, Studley kept in the fight to avoid relegation with this crucial 4-0 victory over Claverdon.  Damian Hampton & Martin Richards (Studley) beat Richard Butler & John Edwards (Claverdon) 6-1, 6-4 and beat Tony Supperstone & Sam Ward (Claverdon) 6-1, 6-3.  Vince Morrisey & Mark Willmore (Studley) beat Supperstone & Ward 6-4, 6-1 and beat Butler & Edwards 6-4, 6-2.

Division One HDA Redditch (34), are still favourites for the title despite suffering a bad result losing 3-1 to mid-table Pershore (19).  Snitterfield moved up to equal second place to join Alcester B on 24 points after they beat Alcester 3-1.  Ardencote B (23) lie just a point behind in third following their 4-0 thrashing of bottom side Studley B (10).  Lastly, Littleton (19) beat Whitnash (16) 4-0. 

Chipping Campden A (36) opened up a late lead in the Division Two title race and celebrated an invaluable 3-1 win over title contenders and previous leaders Inkberrow A (33) who now drop to second place.  Stratford B (32) lie a further point back in third as they recorded a 3-1 win over last but one placed Studley C (10).In mid-table fifth placed  Snitterfield B (22) and sixth placed FISSC (14) drew 2-2, while one final result saw fourth side Claverdon B hammer lowly Aston Cantlow 4-0.

In Division Three Shipston-on-Stour A (32) regain the lead thanks to 4-0 battering of Inkberrow B (12).  Henley B now lie three points behind on 29 having been held to a 2-2 draw by fourth placed HDA B Redditch (15).  Alcester C (28) closed up in third with a resounding 4-0 result over relegation threatened Inkberrow C (5).  Claverdon C (11), who would have been due to play Ilmington, had no match due the latter withdrawing from the league.  This action meant that Ilmington were confirmed as one of the two teams to be relegated from Division Three.

Pershore B are virtually certain of the title for Division Four.  They lead by 11 with 37 points and only three weeks left of the season.  They scored a 4-0 whitewash of bottom placed Moreton-in-Marsh C (8), dropping only three games the entire match.  Warwick (29) moved up into second place as fellow promotion prospects after they beat sixth placed and relegation threatened Wildmoor Spa A (14) 3-1.  Chipping Campden B trail three points behind on 26 due to being held to a 2-2 draw by the other relegation and sixth placed side Littleton B (14).  One final result saw fourth placed Moreton-in-Marsh B (25) defeat fifth placed HDA C Redditch (19) 3-1.

Finally, on to Division Five where Bidford-on-Avon A (36) maintained a commanding lead of eight points by disposing easily 4-0 of bottom of the league Chipping Campden C (2).  Bidford’s sister side Bidford B (28) are fighting hard for the second promotion spot and enjoyed a good 4-0 win over penultimate team HDA D Redditch (12).  Hard on their heels only a point behind with 27 are Evesham B who beat fifth side Wildmoor Spa B (23).  Not far behind them with 25 points are Warwickshire County Council, who are keen to gain promotion in their first season in the league.  They though were held to a 2-2 draw by sixth placed Shipston-on-Stour B (14).

Wildmoor Spa Tennis League – 2016-18 By Corin Bishop