Third spot for Essex players (From Echo)

Third spot for Essex players

4:50pm Thursday 28th July 2011 in Tennis By Paul Alton

ESSEX men and women’s teams both finished third in their LTA’s AEGON Summer County Cup showdowns.

The men were pipped to promotion by Suffolk and Hampshire & Isle of Wight in Group Three at Hunstanton in Norfolk, while the ladies finished behind Hampshire & Isle of Wight and Middlesex.

Southend player Rob Carter teamed up with Tom Higgins to win 11 of their 14 events, while Westcliff Hardcourt’s won four vital rubbers playing with various partners.

Billericay player Chris Gardiner was struck down with a virus and could only play one of the five days.

Essex were without three stalwarts in Richard Wire, Jon Cornish and Ben Higgins but still performed well to win three of their five matches.

“To perform as we did considering we had players missing, losing Ben Pritchard to an ankle injury on the second day and Simon Harston seizing up on the final day, was a credit to the team,” said men’s non-playing captain Jamie Willson.