Despite many of their leading players being involved in crucial National League matches on Sunday, the schedule also required Charnwood tennis club to play a tricky first round match at Enderby in the Mercury Cup on the same day.
The Mercury Cup is Leicestershire's prestigious mixed doubles knockout tournament, where each team consists of three mixed doubles pairs. Each couple plays the opposition pairs in turn until one team has accrued five wins, with each rubber decided over two full sets and a deciding tie-break if necessary.
With few players available, captain Kevin Leck was fortunate to be able to persuade daughter Katie to drive up from her home in London to play.
Mary Nevill had played a tough county match in Lancashire the day before, but showed her trademark commitment by agreeing to play at Enderby. The super-fit and determined Justine Albert, along with the talented Ash El Menshawy, and the rapidly improving teenager Jack Phillips, plus Leck himself, completed the lineup.
In the first round, El Menshawy and Albert gradually took charge of their match with Matt Stevenson and Andjelka Grubisic, winning 7-6, 6-2.
The Lecks faced the big-hitting Owen Morris and the crafty Nicola Birch, and gave a good account of themselves despite Katie having played little tennis in the last few months, but were eventually edged out 6-3, 7-5.
Nevill and Phillips had a tough battle with Matt Webber and Amelie Birch, but eventually succumbed 10-8 in the deciding tie-break. This left Charnwood 2-1 down after the first round.
Comeback starts for Charnwood in second rubbers
In the second round, Morris and Birch performed strongly against El Menshawy and Albert, winning 6-3, 6-1 Meanwhile Phillips and Nevill cruised past Stevenson and Grubisic 6-3, 6-2.
The match between the Lecks and Webber and Birch was tighter. The first set went to a tie-break, but Katie Leck started to find her game, making a crucial contribution to an 8-6 win in the first set tie-break. This seemed to deflate Webber and Birch, who fell to a 6-1 loss in the second set, levelling the tie at three matches apiece.
The final round produced the kind of drama for which the Mercury Cup has become renowned.
The Lecks eased past Grubisic and a tiring Stevenson 6-2, 6-2, meaning that one more rubber would win the tie for Charnwood.
Unfortunately both of the other pairs had now fallen a set behind.
El Menshawy and Albert showed great resilience to level their match with Webber and Birch, taking the contest to a deciding tie-break, but after falling several points behind early on, they could never quite get back on terms and ended up losing 10-8.
The whole tie now depended upon the match between Nevill and Phillips and Morris and Birch. After losing the first set 7-5, the Charnwood pair took the second set to a tie-break. At 5-6 in the tie-break it was Nevill's serve, with Enderby holding a point to clinch the tie.
The legendary Olympian demonstrated the fact that she is still a player for the big occasion as she produced a vital ace. Two more strong points from Charnwood took the rubber into a deciding tie-break.
Despite being tired, Nevill continued to play solidly, and Phillips began to hit some powerful drives, as Charnwood swept into a 9-3 lead.
A brief Enderby fightback brought it back to 9-5, but the match was ultimately closed out 10-5, clinching a 5-4 win for Charnwood.