Alcester have had an impeccable year and with three men’s teams and four junior pairs entered into the various Wildmoor Spa Tennis League competitions where they have had an excellent season. Their top Men’s A Team, are runners-up in the Premier Division of the League tables, while the Men’s B team pictured below are also in the Premier Division where they avoided relegation.
Alcester B in the Premier Division.
Meanwhile, their Men’s C team have won promotion to Division 1, as Division 2 runners-up. From the Alcester club’s junior section, their A Pair won their Pool A and then topped the semi-final play-offs in the Junior Cup to reach the Junior Cup Final to be held in September against Stratford. Their B pair only just failed to reach the play-offs by just two points in Pool D and their C pair finished as runners-up in Pool A.
This decision to award Alcester the cup was based first by eliminating from the 22 clubs in the league those who did not enter the Junior League, which left eight. After this, any that had been fined or docked points for rule infringements or fielding only one pair during the current season of the Men’s league and caused problems for the league administrators were excluded, which left seven. Five of the remaining clubs had won the award before, Evesham who won in 2014, Henley who won in 2011, Littletons who won in 2013, Pershore who won in 2016, and Stratford-on-Avon who won in 2009. In order to spread the honour around to different deserving clubs these previous winners were discounted, which left Alcester and Chipping Campden. With so many teams competing and with excellent end of season results, plus a clear record over this and some previous years the vote went to Alcester Tennis Club.
Alcester Juniors Pairs Squad who competed in the Junior League Cup.
The Alcester Chairman also pointed out that the club’s match-play element has also been extremely successful through 2017, not just for the men and the junior Aegon, but also for the ladies and the mixed Aegon. The ladies A Team look like they will win their division and be promoted to the top flight. The two mixed teams were both promoted from divisions three to divisions two (they finished 1st and 2nd respectively) and the Men’s Aegon also won their division.
Alcester have been involved with the Wildmoor Spa League for 28 years since joining when the league was founded in 1990. The club is led by their Chairman Duncan Robinson, and ably administered by their A Team captain Tim Kenneally, B Team captain Gareth Price and C Team captain Duncan Robinson himself. All three have done a splendid job organising their teams without a blemish especially this year. Stuart Beach is the club coach who organised the junior pairs in their competition and as previously mentioned have done their club proud.
For these reasons, Alcester Tennis Club is fully deserving of their title Club of their Year 2017.