Tennis youngsters book place on finals day

5:01pm Wednesday 16th July 2008

THE fifth Prudden Road Surfacing Tennis League Junior Semi-Finals Pool was staged at Bidford.

The teams that had each topped their group stages played off for the chance to reach the Junior Cup Final at the Men's Pairs tournament at Stratford on Sunday, August 31.

Only the top two teams would go on to play in the full final and the four qualifying teams on this night were Evesham, Henley-in-Arden, Shipston-on-Stour and Studley who produced the closest semi-final Pool ever held.

Shipston and Henley set the tone when they went to a tie-break in their opening rubber before Shipston's Hugh Allen and James England managed to take the tie break and therefore the match 7-6 over Jake Evans & Chris Cardwell.

Meanwhile, on the other courts, Studley's Jake Woolley and Tom Allum defeated Evesham's Rob Noble and Tim Vaux 6-3.

In the second round of matches Shipston overcame Evesham 6-4 and were looking favourites to qualify for their fourth successive final especially when, on the opposite court, Henley stopped Studley in their tracks in yet another nail biting finish 7-5.

However, for the first time, three sides finished with two wins apiece after, in the final round of matches, Henley beat Evesham 6-0 and more surprisingly Studley shocked favourites Shipston 6-2.

This meant that it went to points difference and Shipston, without their star player James Hudson, lost out by the narrowest of margins.

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