Alcester A still head the Premier Division after Week 6 of the Wildmoor Summer Tennis League, sponsored by Bannatyne Health Club & Spa and covering South Warwickshire and parts of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. They now have 22 points and took a valuable 4-0 result in straight sets over mid-table Littleton (9). The big match of the week was between joint second teams Stratford-on-Avon and Pershore with both starting on 16 points. Both teams could only managed a 2-2 draw and slip further behind Alcester A with 18 points apiece. Chipping Campden (14) retained fourth place with a 4-0 win over bottom team Henley-in-Arden (0). The two teams just above bottom met when Alcester B (7) lost out 4-0 to victors Evesham (6).

It was a straight forward task for Alcester A at home against Littleton and they claimed victory without dropping a set. Stuart Beach & Barney Williams (Alcester A) defeated Craig Witheford & Ali Witheford (Littleton) 6-4, 6-3 and then beat Sean Witheford & Vanessa Dufty (Littleton) 6-1, 6-0. Charlie Watson & Sam Thruston-nend (Alcester A) beat Witheford & Dufty 6-0, 6-1 and beat Witheford & Witheford 6-2, 6-3.

Joint second placed Stratford and Pershore met in a crucial battle for the Premier title challenge. The result did neither team a favour dropping further behind the leaders after a 2-2 draw. The strongest pair on the courts were Stratford’s Max Hurtubise & Oliver Plaskett who overcame Dan Walker & Matt Sime (Pershore) 6-3, 6-3 and then defeated Jon Guppy & Max ingleyHingley 6-3, 7-5. The second Stratford pair William Morley-Cotterell & Ryan Bolton lost to Guppy & Hingley 6-1, 5-7, 0-1 and lost to Walker & Sime 1-6, 2-6. 

Chipping Campden (14) retained fourth place in the Premier Division by beating bottom placed Henley-in-Arden 4-0 in straight sets. Martyn Ledbury & Ali Johnson (Campden) beat Tom Griffiths & Brett Mackay (Henley) 6-2, 6-3 and then beat Max Retallack & Marcus Tate (Henley) 6-2, 6-2. Geoff Vaughan & Taylor Ferrier (Campden) beat Retallack & Tate 6-4, 6-1 and beat Griffiths & Mackay 7-5, 6-3. With their recent infringement docking of two points this still leaves Henley without a point this season.

Just above the bottom of the table, Alcester B (7) took on penultimate side Evesham (6) at Alcester. Before the match Evesham only had 2 points and Alcester B looked favourites, but excellent play by Evesham saw them take maximum points in straight sets. Andrew Crowther & Sam Turner (Evesham) beat Duncan Robinson & Pete Watson (Alcester B) 6-0, 6-1 and beat James Clemons & Emma Hubbard (Alcester B) 6-2, 6-1. Paul Everatt & Simon Wall (Evesham) beat Clemons & Hubbard 6-1, 6-1 and beat Robinson & Watson 6-4, 6-4.

Ardencote Manor A (19) continued to dominate Division One with another 4-0 result and their victory over mid-table Claverdon (8) without dropping a set emphasized this. Fresh from their triumph as Winter League Champions, Ardencote’s best pair Callum Bailey & John Brain comfortably defeated Richard Butler & Andy Ashley (Claverdon) 6-2, 6-2 before then beating James Courier & John Edwards (Claverdon) 6-3, 6-0. Ben Summers & Myles Wilcox-Smith (Ardencote) beat Courier & Edwards 6-1, 6-1 & beat Butler & Ashley 6-3, 6-1. Second placed Redditch (17) continued their challenge by beating the penultimate side Shipston-on-Stour (1) by a 4-0 score. Finally, a mid-table clash between Stratford B (9) and Alcester C (7) resulted in a 3-1 win for Stratford B.

Division Two saw top of the division Inkberrow A (17) retain top spot after recording a 2-2 draw with second placed Pershore B (16). Snitterfield A (15) stay third also recording an unexpected 2-2 draw with lowly Claverdon B (7). Warwick (13) also stayed fourth following their 2-2 draw with fifth placed Ardencote B (12). Near the bottom of the table Chipping Campden B (10) played Henley B (6) and Campden claimed the honours 3-1.

Division Three leaders Bidford-on-Avon A (21) hosted joint second placed Redditch B. Bidford came out on top 3-1 to increase their lead to 7 points by defeating Redditch B (14). The other second placed team Shipston B (14) played fourth placed Studley B (12) and shared the points in a 2-2 draw. Fifth placed Chipping Campden C (11) just retained their place despite losing to sixth place Inkberrow B 3-1, which meant that the latter now only trail Campden by a point with 10. Finally, in Division Three the two teams which began as bottom of the table Evesham B and Inkberrow C met and a 3-1 win for Inkberrow C lifted them to equal with opponents Evesham B with 7 points each.

Once more Division Four remained unchanged with leaders Stratford C (24) disposing comfortably of fourth placed opponents Aston Cantlow (11) with a 4-0 win. Similarly, Wildmoor A (19) beat Warwickshire County Council (7) by a 3-1 score to stay second. Third side Redditch C (16) managed to overcome Moreton-in-Marsh B (8) in a closer match than the 4-0 score suggested. A bottom of the table clash between Bidford B (5) and Tysoe (6) saw the result go 3-1 to Bidford who stay bottom but now only by one point.

Finally, in a Division Five title match leaders Pershore C (22) played host to second placed Wildmoor B (17). A 4-0 win for Pershore C consolidated their lead at the top while pushing Wildmoor B down to third. Claverdon C (18) swapped places with Wildmoor B and took second spot with a 4-0 win over Moreton-in-Marsh C (8). Wildmoor C (12) consolidated fourth in the table with a good 3-1 away win at Shipston C (3). Lastly, Henley C (5) gained two valuable points in a 2-2 draw at Littleton B ((9).