CREDITON secured a hard-fought 6-3 away victory over Newton St Cyres on Monday, May 19 in an entertaining and high-quality encounter played throughout in persistent drizzle.

Despite the difficult conditions, the excellent surface at Newton St Cyres Tennis Club ensured all rubbers were completed, although by the end of the evening all four players were soaked through after battling both the weather and each other.

The opening rubber saw Crediton’s Paul Reed and Ben Hancock face Mac Grabowski and Tom Browne. The Newton St Cyres pair produced some excellent tennis to take the opening set 6-1 before edging a tight second-set tie-break 7-6 to hold off a spirited Crediton comeback.

On the other court, Callum Duggan and Joe Cookson made a fast start against Aidan Mason and Tom Bending, winning the first set 6-1.

Duggan’s relentlessly consistent forehand and Cookson’s sharp finishing at the net proved decisive. Mason and Bending attempted to disrupt Crediton’s rhythm by switching receiving sides in the second set, but Duggan continued to dictate rallies as Crediton sealed the rubber 6-3.

Reed and Hancock responded strongly in their second match, finding their rhythm as a partnership to defeat Mason and Bending 6-1, 7-6 despite a late push from the Newton pair.

The final rubber between Crediton’s Duggan and Cookson and Newton St Cyres’ Grabowski and Browne proved the match of the night.

Grabowski and Browne edged the first set 7-5, with Browne serving excellently throughout and the Newton pair showing lightning-fast reactions at the net.

Crediton refused to stop running and battling, with Cookson even crashing into the back fence chasing down a lob before winning the point.

Crediton forced a second-set tie-break, won it, and carried the momentum into a deciding championship tie-break to seal an impressive overall victory late into the evening.