ESSEX men narrowly lost their highly competitive friendly match against Cambridge University.

The students shaded the singles 4-2 in the morning before drawing 3-3 in the afternoon doubles to finish the match losing 7-5.

But the Essex team — which featured five south-east Essex players — were only denied a draw after losing a tie break in the final rubber.

Jack Stammers, Harry Randle, Robert Carter and Chris Gardiner were the Southend contingent in action at the Fenners, the home of the Cambridge University Tennis Team.

The first matches were the six singles events with Cambridge University just shading the spoils four matches to two.

Chris Gardiner, playing at the anchoring number one position, had a good win with an equally impressive win by David Wright (Redbridge) against the Cambridge University captain of the day, Sven Sylvester.

Other close matches featured Randle (Thorpe Bay) and Peter French (Billericay), but both lost in third set Championship Tye Breakers.

Stammers, faced a very gritty opponent and amazingly could not repeat his star billing of the 2012 fixture.

Essex are traditionally strong in the doubles and Carter and Wright won both their rubbers.

Gardiner and Luke Spooner (Harlow) won their first doubles but lost their second event.

Randle and Stammers was seen as the Essex dream teambut they lost 6-1, 6-1 to a strong Cambridge pairing.

This left the final match requiring an Essex win to halve the match, Jack Stammers forming an old partnership with Peter French.

Essex won the first set 6-3 but Cambridge took the second 7-6 after an intense tie break.

Everything then hinged on a final set Championship tie break with Cambridge finally coming out the victors by 10 points to eight.

Essex use the match as preparation of the LTA Inter-County Doubles Grass Court Championships, which will be held this year at West Worthing LTC starting on Monday, July 22.

The fixture against Cambridge has been played for the past five years and was originally the brainchild of Westcliff Hardcourts and Thorpe Bay member John Western when he was the Blues’ tennis captain and studying at the university