ON Tuesday, July 7, on a bright and hot summer's evening at the Lords Meadow tennis courts, league leaders Crediton A hosted their closest challengers, Newton St Cyres, in an entertaining local derby.

The quality of tennis on display attracted several passers-by, who stopped to watch, highlighting the excellent standard produced by both teams.

The opening rubber saw Crediton's Paul Reed and Joe Cookson take on Aidan Mason and Mac Grabowski. After being caught cold and losing the first set 0-6, the Crediton pair responded superbly to take the second 6-4 before winning the championship tie-break.

Reed's deep returns proved decisive as Crediton claimed the opening rubber.

On the neighbouring court, Ed Poultney and Callum Duggan also made a slow start against Selena Shaw and Alan Bond, with Shaw producing a string of impressive winners. However, the Crediton pair soon settled and ran out comfortable 6-3, 6-2 winners.

In the reverse rubbers, Poultney and Duggan overcame a determined challenge from Mason and Grabowski. After taking the first set 6-3, they held their nerve in a tight second set, with Poultney dominating at the net to secure a 6-4 victory.

Cookson and Reed completed the evening against Shaw and Bond. Crediton won the first set 6-4 before Shaw's attacking play helped force a championship tie-break. Reed and Cookson responded brilliantly, playing with greater aggression at the net to comfortably seal the match.

The overall result was an impressive 8-2 victory for Crediton A over Newton St Cyres.

The win leaves Crediton A needing just four points from their final two league matches to secure the league title and promotion. A double-header against Tiverton now awaits, where Crediton will hope to complete an outstanding season in style.

Joe Cookson