Wildmoor Tennis League - 2018-21 - (Men’s Final Week 14)

The Wildmoor Tennis League – Final Week 14

(Covering South Warwickshire & parts or Worcestershire & Gloucs.)

The final week of the Men’s Wildmoor Tennis League for the South Warwickshire and parts of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire confirmed all the division champions plus the promoted and relegated teams.

In the Premier Division Stratford-on-Avon had already been declared champions with their 16^th consecutive League title by 9 clear points from Chipping Campden & Alcester A. Runners-up Campden finished on the same points as Alcester A but beat them on sets difference.  Stratford only managed a 2-2 draw with fifth placed Alcester B. Campden also finished with a 2-2 draw with Ardencote Manor who can count themselves as extremely unlucky to be relegated by a single point with a total of 24. Henley-in-Arden  with 25 just escaped relegation despite suffering a last match 4-0 defeat to Alcester A. Finally, fourth placed Pershore easily beat relegated Redditch 4-0.

Champions Stratford fielded a weakened side against Alcester B which resulted in a 2-2 draw. Usual members Callum Bailey partnering team captain Tim Page won both their rubbers beating Gareth Price & Matt Fielding (Alcester B) 6-3, 6-2 and beating Marcus Powell & Sam Thruston-nend (Alcester B) 7-5, 6-4. Stratford’s new pairing James Smith & Andrew Helby lost to Powell & Thruston-nend 2-6, 3-6 and lost to Price & Fielding 1-6, 1-6.

Runners-up Chipping Campden only just held their position when opponents Ardencote forced a 2-2 draw. George Richards & Tobias Kemp (Campden) went down to Ben Summers & Jack Smith (Ardencote) 4-6, 2-6 but bounced back to beat John Brain & Matt Smith (Ardencote) 6-4, 3-6, 1-0. Geoff Vaughan & James Hudson (Campden) beat Brain & Smith 6-4, 6-2, but lost to Summers & Smith 1-6, 1-6.

Alcester A ended their season with an emphatic 4-0 victory as their Stuart Beach & Charlie Watson beat Oli Didlick & Tom Griffiths (Henley) 6-3, 6-2 and then beat Max Retallack & Matt Williams (Henley) 7-5, 6-4. Pete Watson & Barney Williams (Alcester A) beat Retallack & Williams 6-1, 6-2 and beat Didlick & Griffiths 2-6, 6-4, 1-0.

In the final Premier Division fixture Pershore secured fourth place with a straight sets away win over Redditch.  Jon Guppy & Sean Randle (Pershore) beat Lubo Smoliar & Andrew Hanson (Redditch) 6-1, 6-3 and beat Darren Shennan & Will Hanson (Redditch) 6-0, 6-0. Steve Bauer & Bradley Smith (Pershore) beat Shennan & Hanson 6-0, 6-0 and beat Smoliar & Hanson 6-0, 6-2.

Champions of Division One Littleton A surprisingly lost their last match 1-3 to relegated Inkberrow A. Evesham A gained promotion despite a 2-2 draw with fourth placed Stratford B. Third place was taken by Moreton-in-Marsh A when they beat the other relegated team Ardencote Manor B 3-1. Studley A finished fifth after beating sixth placed Alcester C 3-1.

Division Two saw both promoted teams claim 4-0 wins. Champions Claverdon A beat the fifth team Henley B away, while runners-up Shipston A hosted and beat bottom and relegated team Inkberrow B. Third placed Snitterfield A drew 2-2 with Claverdon B.  These points proved crucial as they saved Claverdon B from the drop because fourth side Chipping Campden B doomed FISSC to Division Three next year by a solitary point after FISSC could only manage a brave 2-2 draw.

In the closest of finishes in the league Pershore B squeezed out Warwick to claim the Division Three title by only a few sets difference. Warwick had held the lead most of the season and both had finished with 4-0 victories and 44 points.  Pershore beat bottom side Redditch C who only chalked up 2 points all season and are relegated. Meanwhile, Warwick blew away fifth placed Studley B. Bidford A were 13 points adrift in third despite receiving a late 4-0 thrashing at the hands of fourth placed Snitterfield B. In the last fixture sixth side Redditch B beat the other relegated team Inkberrow C 3-1.

Division Four Champions Shipston B ended their season with an easy 4-0 crushing of bottom and relegated Claverdon C. Evesham B, three points behind the winners, celebrated their promotion with a 4-0 victory over Tysoe, which meant that Tysoe were relegated by just a single point. The team that benefited was Aston Cantlow who avoided the drop by bravely hanging on for a 2-2 draw with third placed Chipping Campden C. Mid-table teams Wildmoor A and Bidford B met resulting in an easy 4-0 win for Wildmoor B.

Finally, to Division Five where runaway title holders Stratford C played third placed Warwickshire County Council who were still in with a chance of promotion. Stratford killed off these hopes with a 4-0 victory. This left the field clear for Moreton-in-Marsh B to claim that second promotion place. This they duly did, but only with a 2-2 draw with fourth placed Wildmoor B. In the final league fixture the bottom two teams Inkberrow D and Moreton-in-Marsh C played and with Inkberrow unable to field a team they were fined and docked a point while Moreton C were awarded a 4-0 walkover.    

Wildmoor Tennis League – 2018-21