BROMSGROVE A remain top of Men’s Division Two in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Winter League, despite suffering a first loss in the 6-4 defeat at Manor Park C.
The duo of Tom and Jim Round got the visitors off to the perfect start when they beat Manor Park’s Rory Guilding and Geoff Smith 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 though the latter pairing saw off Bromsgrove’s Royden and Steve Halfpenny 6-3, 6-0 in their next match.
Bromsgrove again came from behind to win in match three when the Halfpenny’s edged out Christopher Barr-Hamilton and Ben Westwood in a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 thriller.
But the failure of the Round brothers to put up more of a fight in the final match, a 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Barr-Hamilton and Westwood, meant Manor Park took the overall victory.
Droitwich B and hosts Worcester D could not be separated in a 5-5 deadlock in Division Three East.
The Worcester duo of Kieran Groom and Guillaume Houillon edged the first rubber 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against James Nam and James Stanford.
Droitwich soon hit back when Mark Jones and Joseph Maidment won 6-4, 6-2 against Chris Howard and George Fall-Taylor to go 3-2 up in sets won.
Groom and Taylor turned the tide in the hosts’ favour once more after beating Jones and Maidment 6-2, 6-1. leaving Nam and Stanford with the task of rescuing the game for Droitwich.
After losing the first set to Howard and Fall-Taylor, the best the visitors could hope for was a draw overall, but they did exactly that with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory.
In Women’s Division Four East, Bromsgrove C thrashed Ombersley A 8-2 to go fourth in the standings.
Bromsgrove were imperious in the opening three rubbers, with Claudia Bullock and Isabelle Bracknall beating Natalie Cook and Gail Hughes 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the opener
Stephanie Armstrong and Rebecca Smith impressed in a 6-0, 6-2 win against Petra Silveter and Fiona Bates, and then Bullock and Bracknall were 6-1, 6-1 winners against Bates and Silvester in match three.
Armstrong and Smith were unable to get the better of Cook and Hughes, who edged a three-setter 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.