Tennis players aid Lincolnshire to promotion

Unusually, both teams were playing at Lincolnshire venues. Lincolnshire Ladies were playing at Boston Tennis Club against Dorset, Hampshire and Isle of Wight and Nottinghamshire.

The Lincolnshire Men played at Grantham against Derbyshire, West of Scotland and Suffolk.

Boston Tennis Club members playing for the Lincolnshire teams at the weekend included Will Mason and Laura White - both of whom are club coaches - Lucy Hull, Victoria Beardsley, Dominic Beesley and Henry Beesley.

The Men will move up to the dizzy heights of Group Two next year after topping their group.

They won 6-3 against Derbyshire on the first day, 6-3 again against the West of Scotland and 5-2 against Suffolk.

The Ladies came close to avoiding relegation, but missed out in a very tight match against Nottinghamshire, when all three doubles rubbers went to a third set on the last day of play, and only one went to Lincolnshire Ladies.

Losses of 3-6 to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and 2-7 to Dorset on the previous day mean the team moves down to Group Five of this competition next year.

One Boston and District Winter League result from Sunday saw a 5-3 win for Boston A against Boston E.

On this occasion Boston A team had George Wookey, Harry Foster, Trent Hutson and Robbie Townsend playing for them, while Boston E were represented by Penny Gibbons, Tracy Hull, James Waterfall and Simon Beardsley.

In the Lincolnshire Slazenger Winter Senior League, Boston Ladies’ Thirds team were away at Sleaford in a second division match.

Hilary Calvert, Jenny McGarel, Sue Dring and Denise Priestley narrowly missed out on a draw with a tie-break that slipped away from them, leaving the final score at 3-5.