Summer County Cup delivers another unforgettable week of tennis
• 3 minute read
The LTA Summer County Cup took place last week, delivering another brilliant week of action across the country.
797 men and women came together to battle it out for their counties in one of the world’s oldest established tennis competitions, looking to add another chapter to a history that’s been written since 1895. In total, 12 venues across Britain played host to some of Britain’s best, with the top level of the Summer County Cup once again being hosted at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park, home of the Lexus Eastbourne Open.
The site of many a thrilling WTA and ATP Tour match, it came down to the wire in both the men’s and women’s group one divisions at Devonshire Park, with final day ‘winner-takes-all’ matches between Surrey and Warwickshire in the men’s and Hertfordshire and Middlesex in the women’s.
In the women’s group, Hertfordshire were gunning for a record seventh consecutive title, and began strong, gaining the early initiative going 2-1 up after the 1st round, and furthered their lead in the match to 4-2 after round 2.
It was the pair of Erin Pearce & Marelie Raath who cemented victory and the record seventh title in a row defeating Anjali Kotecha & Tamara Kuti 61 63 for an unassailable 5-2 lead.
The victorious women's side from Hertfordshire (Evelyn Hargreaves Photography)
Hertfordshire captain, Amanda Elliott said after the win, “We are absolutely thrilled to have won County Week once again, and so happy to have set a new record of seven consecutive titles. This was the goal at the start of the week, and we achieved it!
“County Week is a fantastic event and one that we look forward to every year. To continue enjoying success in such a competitively fought competition makes this record even more meaningful, and we are so proud of what we have achieved together. Every single team member has played their part.”
In the men’s group, Warwickshire led 2-1 after the first round of rubbers, but round two saw Surrey come storming back, taking a 4-2 lead going into the final round. However, Warwickshire were far from out of the tie, and after recovering from a set down in match seven and levelling the score at 4-4, the Midlands team were on the verge of a remarkable comeback. However, Surrey’s James Beaven and Max Relic kept cool heads and came through a match tie-break in the decider to secure a 63 46 10-7 victory over Oliver Plaskett and Ferran Redza, winning their third match of the tie and retaining the title for Surrey.
Surrey captain, Mark Whitehouse said post-match, “I'm incredibly proud of my whole team for winning County Week. It's such a special and unique event, and we battled so hard each day against some great competition. It came down to the last match tie-break on the final day, which shows how close and exciting the event was. We can't wait for next year!”
The victorious Surrey men's side celebrate after their nail-biting finale against Warwickshire (Evelyn Hargreaves Photography)
The full results from across the country are as follows:
Men's |
Women's |
|
Group 1 |
Surrey | Hertfordshire |
Group 2 |
Nottinghamshire | Yorkshire |
Group 3 |
Hampshire & IOW | Hampshire & IOW |
Group 4 |
Derbyshire | Cambridgeshire |
Group 5 |
Cheshire | South Wales |
Group 6 |
Avon | North of Scotland |
Group 7 - M |
Sussex | Devon |
Group 7 - N |
Cornwall | Bedfordshire |
While there were many great performances throughout the week, a particular congratulations goes to the week's three 15/15 winners (players who won 15 out of 15 matches during the week): Sophie Ryland and Kendal Bradley (Devon) and Tatiana Turley (Berkshire). From individuals to teams, congratulations to the men and women representing Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, who both won their respective groups (women at Raynes Park, men at Hunstanton), and will therefore move up and be competing together in Group two at Roehampton next year.
Paul Midgley, Competitions Manager at the LTA and Summer County Cup lead, spoke after the conclusion of the week’s action saying, "Right across the country, we've seen quality tennis on show. From Eastbourne to Ilkley, players have given their all representing their counties, and showed just how special a week in the British tennis calendar Summer County Week is. Some of Britain's best players have honed their craft in the Summer County Cup arena, and the calibre of tennis on show once again did not disappoint. Congratulations to everyone who took part."
History of the County Cup
Find out more about the event’s history in The History of the Summer County Cup 1895 to 2025. In this remarkable publication, David Orchard captures the rich history, personalities, statistics and stories that have shaped the event from its earliest beginnings through to the modern era.
