Prudden Road Surfacing League

REIGNING champions Strat-ford C began their defence of the title with a tough fixture against 2002 winners Studley A.

Although the match was much tighter than the final scoreline suggests, it was Studley who surprised their visitors by running out 4-0 victors.

Heroes for the winners were Chris Francis and Chris Hughes who managed to win tie-breaks in both opening sets to defeat Richard Monk and Andy Craig 7-6, 7-6.

They then went on to get the better of Laurence Dingley and Chris Peacock 7-6, 6-2, while teammates Dave Innes and Gary Jackson took three sets to dispose of Dingley and Peacock 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, but beat Monk and Craig 6-3, 6-4.

Stratford B salvaged club pride with an emphatic 4-0 win over newly promoted Henley A.

Callum Bailey and Robert Slatter began strongly with victories over Burns and Turner 6-4, 6-1 and Howard and Vickers 6-0, 6-1.

Partners Jim Harris and Tim Page also enjoyed easy victories over the Henley pairings 6-1, 6-4 and 6-1, 6-2 respectively.

The third Stratford side, the newly promoted D team, also enjoyed a 3-1 result at home to FISSC A.

Chris Cotterell and Tom Jones did most damage for the home side beating the Tiddington side's Steve Turner and Ali Kashani 6-3, 6-2 and then Nick Bridges and John Morris 6-2, 6-2.

Phil Hodges and Dave Eburah although overcoming Bridges and Morris 6-2, 7-6, lost to Turner and Kashani 5-7, 2-6.

The final Premiership match saw last year's runners-up Inkberrow A manage a 2-2 draw with improved Littletons A.

Results: Tom Trott & Jim Richardson (Inkberrow) bt Frank Meadows & Mark Hubbard 7-6, 6-0; bt Dave Rudge & Steve Stevens 6-3, 6-4. Adam Hill & Graeme Rankin lost to Rudge & Stevens 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, lost to Meadows & Hubbard 4-6, 6-4, 6-7.

Division One action saw Chipping Campden A and Claverdon A in the driving seat after easy 4-0 wins, while Pershore against Littleton B and Tanworth-in-Arden against Bidford A both resulted in 2-2 draws.

Relegated Campden A found the going relatively easy in the lower division against Aston Cantlow as Mark Adams and Rolf Wilson dropped only two games in the entire match.

Results: Adams & Wilson bt John Nicklass & Greg Reeves 6-0, 6-0; bt Wilf Chan & Nello Mauri 6-1, 6-1. Mark Evans & Ken Dawson bt Chan & Mauri 6-0, 6-2; bt Nicklass & Reeves 6-3, 6-2.

Claverdon A travelled to Inkb-errow to play the newly promoted B team and were equally as successful.

Results: Mark Bradley & Andrew Williams (Claverdon) bt Craig Needen & Mike Baker 6-2, 6-4; bt Andrew Jones & Steve Price 6-0, 6-0. Richard Butler & Dave Mountford bt Jones & Price 6-0, 6-0; bt Needen & Baker 7-5, 6-2.

Jon Alexander & Steve Merrick (Pershore) bt Mark Hubbard & John Fielder (Littleton) 6-3, 6-4, and D Collins & J Plant 6-3, 6-4. Peter Corbishley & Andy Popplewell lost to Collins & Plant 4-6, 6-3, 3-6; lost to Hubbard & Fielder 1-6, 2-6.

Nick Danks & Phil Wells (Tanworth) lost to Matt Saunders & Andy Cox (Bidford) 2-6, 3-6; bt Simon Price & Malcolm Dewsbury 6-2, 6-2. Ken Jones & Ian Phillips bt Price & Dewsbury 6-2, 6-4; lost to Saunders & Cox 4-6, 2-6.

Action in the third division has started with a real bang.

Evesham, Bidford B, Ilmington and Littleton C have all recorded 4-0 victories but the former, new to the league, sit proudly at the top of the table having won both their opening matches.

The bottom three places are occupied by Shipston's newly entered B team, and fellow newcomers Moreton-in-Marsh and Henley B.