REDDITCH HDA A duo Harvey Ravenscroft and Scott Mortimer launched a stunning comeback to defeat Evesham in their final game of the Wildmoor Spa Tennis League Junior Cup play-offs and book their place in the grand final.
The play-offs, sponsored by league president and Alcester man Tony King, took place at Littletons Tennis Club and featured the winners of each of the four pools played between March and June plus the best runner-up.
The teams who qualified for the play-offs were Henley A, Evesham, Stratford and HDA Redditch A and the matches produced some good quality tennis, especially considering the heatwave conditions in the mid-30s Centigrade.
The aged 12 and under teams played, as previously in pools, a round-robin competition in which each team played one set against each other with the prize of a place in a full match final – to be played later – for the pairs finishing in the top two positions.
In the first round of matches the reigning club champions HDA Redditch, although with a new pair of players in the shape of Mortimer and Ravenscroft, began well by overpowering Stratford’s William Noyes and Joe Pinnock 6-2.
On the other court Evesham boys Ben Shepherd and Manny Winstone enjoyed a close tussle before the Henley duo Alex Evans and Louis Walsh defeated them 7-5.
In the second round of matches Evesham responded with a 6-1 win over Stratford, while HDA Redditch had a tough time as they just edged out Henley 6-4 after many deuces.
In the final round of matches Henley’s Evans and Walsh breezed past Stratford lads Noyes and Pinnock 6-1 to book their place in the final.
Meanwhile, the Redditch HDA duo Mortimer and Ravenscroft found themselves 4-1 down to Evesham’s Shepherd and Winstone before making a fine comeback to win the next five games in a row and take the match and the other place in the final thanks to a 6-4 success.
The losing pairs at the play-offs – Evesham and Stratford – were presented with individual awards for winning their respective pools. Meanwhile, HDA Redditch and Henley-in-Arden will now go forward to play in a full match final alongside the men’s Inter-League Charity Cup final to be played at Henley-in-Arden Tennis Club on Sunday, September 6.
Their awards along with cups and all the league trophies will be presented following the finals at this annual Wildmoor Spa Tennis League buffet presentation.
