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The 2018 Inter-League Charity Cup Tennis Final took place last Sunday (2nd September) at Alcester Tennis Club. The final was contested between reigning champions Stratford-on-Avon representing the Wildmoor 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 seventeenth 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 a strong side, as did their opponents Leamington. The weather was kind on the day and there was a good crowd to watch this prestigious final. Based on the long and evenly contested matches between these sides in the past a good match was in the offing.
It promised to be another tight affair when Stratford drew first blood as their top pair Callum Bailey & Cameron Malik won 6-1, 6-3, beating Leamington’s Harry Brunton and Oliver Oatley, only for Leamington to draw level at 1-1. This was because on the other court the second Leamington duo of team captain Miguel Espada and Ben Franklin beat the Stratford captain Tim Page and partner Simon West 6-3, 6-2.
After the change around Bailey and Malik proved too strong for Leamington’s Espada and Franklin beating them 6-2, 6-1. In the final deciding rubber Page and West upped their game to beat Leamington’s Brunton and Oatley 6-2, 6-1 to give Stratford the win 3 rubbers to 1 and consequently the Inter-League Charity Cup for 2018.
This was Leamington’s seventh appearance in the Inter-League Charity Cup Final having won one and drawn one, but all against Stratford. In contrast though, this was Stratford’s fifteenth consecutive appearance having won 10 of those 15 finals for the Summer League and drawing one
The President of the Wildmoor Summer League Tony King from Alcester, who was also the sponsor of the event, presented the Cup and individual awards, the latter of which had been donated by the Wildmoor League. The Secretary of the Wildmoor Spa Summer League Corin Bishop presented a cheque donated this year by the Stratford and District Winter League for £100.00 to the choice of a local Charity made by the winners Stratford. They decided it should be donated to the Starlight Foundation Children’s Charity.
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