Shipston start new term in style (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Shipston start new term in style

ACTION in the Prudden Road Surfacing Summer League Area started with 4-0 wins in the Premier League for champions Stratford and Studley.

Last year's runners-up Inkberrow, meanwhile, were held to a 2-2 draw by Littleton, while newly promoted Shipston recorded an excellent 3-1 victory over Claverdon.

Stratford B opened their title defence at home to Henley who found it hard to live with their worthy hosts.

The top pairing of Callum Bailey and Rob Slatter eased to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over John Turner and Tim McHone before whitewashing Aldo Romano and Rob Summers.

Tim Page and Richard Monk then defeated Romano and Summers with the loss of just one game but then had to work harder to defeat Turner and McHone 7-6, 6-3.

Studley returned to form with an emphatic 4-0 win over newly promoted FISSC.

Shipston must have made the other teams sit up and take notice as they disposed of Claverdon 3-1.

However, Richard Butler and Jim Courier made them fight all the way before succumbing to the new boys technique.

Ross Tugwood and Toby Kemp defeated Butler and Courier 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, before accounting for Paul Hammond and Alex White 6-2, 6-4.

Ed Bosley and Barry Tugwood got the better of Hammond and White 7-5, 6-2, but then lost out to Butler and Courier 2-6, 6-3, 4-6.

Littleton did well to hold last year's runners-up Inkberrow to a draw after the hosts lost the opening rubber when Ian Smith and Chris Elliott went down 7-6, 6-4 to Alex Woodbridge and Pete Watson.

Second pair Dave Rudge and Scott Witheford overcame Adam Hill and Mark Rawling 7-5, 6-2, to square the match. Smith and Elliott did the same before Rudge and Witheford fought out a tough three-setter before going down 3-6, 6-4, 2-6 to Woodbridge and Watson.

Evesham, newly promoted from Division Two, made an early statement of intent with an emphatic 4-0 first division victory at Littleton B.

Strong starts to the season have also been recorded by Campden, Tanworth and FISSC B, who all recorded 3-1 home victories over Stratford C, Bidford and Aston Cantlow respectively.

Division Two also saw three of the teams get off to flying 3-1 wins as Inkberrow B, Studley B and Moreton-in- Marsh got the better of Alcester, HDA Redditch and Pershore respectively.

Action in Division Three saw Ilmington defeat Bidford B 4-0 and newly promoted Ardencote get the better of Snitterfield 4-0. Claverdon were awarded a 4-0 walkover against Little-ton C.

Alcester B and Shipston B opened their fourth division campaigns with 4-0 victories over Moreton B and Studley C respectively.