British Tennis - Lawn Tennis Association

The AEGON Winter County Cup is taking place this weekend from Friday 25 - Sunday 27 November at venues across Britain.

Winter County Cup consists of two separate competitions, one for men and one for ladies, and is contested by a total of 44 counties from England, Scotland and Wales.

The competing counties are split into 11 round-robin groups of four, with each match consisting of six singles and three doubles rubbers providing a final score out of nine. The winner of each group will be promoted for next year’s competition whilst the loser will be relegated.

Group One is the premier group and is once again being held at Bath University, all the other groups are contested at different indoor venues across Britain. On Sunday evening, the men’s and ladies’ Group One winners will be crowned Winter County Cup Champions.

Last year’s victorious counties, Hertfordshire men and Yorkshire ladies, will be looking to retain their titles amidst fierce competition. Challenging Hertfordshire for the men’s title will be Kent, runners-up in 2010, Essex and Surrey while Hertfordshire, runners-up in the 2010 Ladies Event, Middlesex and Lancashire, current holders of the Ladies Summer CC Event, will provide stiff opposition for Yorkshire in the ladies’ event

Having won the AEGON Summer County Cup title in July, Hertfordshire men and Lancashire Ladies will be hoping to continue their good run in CC Events by taking home the silverware on Sunday.

Ahead of this weekend’s Event, Jeff Wayne, Hertfordshire Men’s Team Captain said: The AEGON Winter Cup is the perfect counter balance to Summer County Week, as it is a 3-day indoor competition built around both Singles and Doubles competition.

"Once again, our team and supporters look forward to the challenge of competing against three other great Counties at the University of Bath."

Meanwhile Melissa Roach will be hoping to steer Yorkshire Ladies to a second consecutive victory for the first time since Essex in 1989: "Yorkshire are very much looking forward to coming back to Bath to defend the title for a third year running. Winter County Cup is always a fun few days where some great tennis is played and I know we are very much looking ahead to some good competitive matches, with obviously a win for Yorkshire!