WARWICKSHIRE’S men’s tennis team achieved promotion to Group One for the first time in 14 years against the odds after thrashing Buckinghamshire on the final day of County Week in Roehampton.
The Bears stormed to a 5-1 victory to clinch promotion to Group One for the first time since 2010 after wins against Suffolk and Essex earlier in the week.
Captained by Gavin Henderson, the team produced a heroic effort to seal promotion, overcoming tight defeats South Wales and Yorkshire to clinch top spot in Group Two.
Henderson said: “I’m unbelievably proud of how our team all kept fighting and urging one another on.
“We didn’t have the best players on paper but we had something a lot more important – grit and a fantastic never-say-die attitude.
“We have a really good blend of youth and experience and no one dropped their head even after we lost to South Wales and Yorkshire, when we failed to clinch a string of Championship tiebreaks.
“Buckinghamshire started the final day with three wins while we only had two but because we’d beaten Essex 7-2 and Suffolk 5-4 we had two more rubbers than they did, so we knew we simply had to beat them to realise our long-held dream of getting up into Group 1.
“It’s a real thrill to think we’ll be competing against many of Britain’s top players next year – and given the team spirit I saw this week, I know they’ll play their hearts out and make their mark at the highest level.”
In the promotion-decider against Buckinghamshire, Cameron Malik (Stratford) and former national junior champion Luca Pow (Solihull) won their opening rubber 11-9 in a nerve-jangling championship tie-break.
This set the tone for the remaining rubbers as three went to sudden-death tie-breaks as Luke Hammond (Warwick Boat Club) and Mason Recci (Solihull) edged past their opponents while Richard Partridge (Coventry) and Oliver Plaskett won their game from 8-2 down in the tie-break.
Buckinghamshire’s only point came when their first pair secured a straight sets win against Partridge and Plaskett. However, once Malik and Pow won their crucial rubber the Bears took an unassailable 5-1 lead.
Warwickshire were playing in Group Five in 2019 only for a string of back-to-back promotions under the guidance of Henderson (Warwick Boat Club) to help the county return to Group One.
Malik and Pow proved the pick of the pairs as they dropped just two rubbers all week while Recci, Partridge, Harry Lazell (Warwick Boat Club), Harry Thursfield, Hammond and Plaskett all contributed to crucial wins.
WATCH BELOW: Malik hits the winning shot to secure Warwickshire’s promotion (video courtesy of Warwickshire LTA).
However, Warwickshire’s women’s young side suffered relegation from Group Three at Raynes Park in London with several top players missing.
After beating Norfolk 7-2, Warwickshire lost 5-4 to Gloucestershire in a thriller on the final day, needing a 7-2 win or better to avoid relegation.
Former junior international Lianne Candappa (Warwick) captained the side.
She included talented 14-year-old T’Nae Diamond Paisley and 17-year-old Isabella Taylor in the squad.
Holly Reid and Giorgie Jones played as first pair for the majority of the weekend while Mary Hoggard, Lois Porter (Balsall Common) and Elizabeth Massie (Rugby) battled valiantly partnering less experienced players.
Kara Biggs and Lucie Butler (Leamington) also featured with Candappa keen to regroup and build on the county’s encouraging performances next season.
