Both of Shropshire’s county tennis teams face long journeys as they prepare to play in the LTA Winter County Cup this weekend.
Shropshire’s women’s team are off to the north east to compete in Group 5A at Sunderland Tennis Centre, with the county’s men’s side heading east to Lincolnshire to play in Group 5B at Boston Tennis Club.
Both Shropshire teams went close to achieving promotion in last year’s Winter Cup, only for their hopes to eventually be ended by defeats on the last day.
Shropshire men’s team, however, did enjoy the promotion feeling earlier this year when they made it back-to-back promotions in the LTA Summer County Cup.
An excellent week at Ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club in July, which produced five wins out of five, saw the county’s men’s team crowned Group 5 champions.
The LTA Winter County Cup is the second oldest County Cup event, having first been played in 1946.
The 44 county teams – 88 men’s and women’s sides combined – are placed in 22 groups, with matches, held across England, as well as in Scotland and Wales, played on a round-robin basis between this Friday and Sunday.
Teams play six singles and three doubles for each fixture, with counties able to nominate a minimum of six and maximum of 10 players per team.
Elena Griffiths will captain the Shropshire women’s side at Sunderland as the county prepare to play matches against Cumbria, Durham & Cleveland and Staffordshire.
Elena said: “As we get ready to head up to Sunderland for this year’s Winter County Cup, I can feel the usual mix of excitement, nerves, and that spark you only get when a big team weekend is coming.
“I’ve had the privilege of captaining the Shropshire women for the past three years, and every year the sense of pride I feel in this team gets stronger.
“This year I’m joined once again by our brilliant vice-captain Karen Sullivan, whose energy and organisation make such a difference when the pressure ramps up. Our team line up is a lovely blend of experience and youthful spark: Helen Roberts, Emilie Gradwell, Gwen Klu, Bella Burton and Bella Deavall. Each one brings something unique, and together we’ve built a group that genuinely supports each other on and off the court.”
Elena added: “Our goals for the weekend go deeper than just results on paper. Of course we’re heading to Sunderland to compete hard and push for strong wins, but we also want to fight for every point and show our resilience, build confident doubles pairings that can hold their nerve under pressure, keep a strong, positive bench atmosphere throughout the weekend, and represent Shropshire with pride, unity and real determination.
“For me, the biggest achievement is when everyone walks off court knowing they gave absolutely everything – that feeling is unbeatable.
“My plan as captain is to make sure everyone feels supported, prepared and calm going into each match. Winter County Cup weekends can swing fast, so staying flexible, reading the momentum, and keeping the team connected will be key.
“We know the level will be tough, but that’s what makes these events exciting. I’m proud of every single player on this team, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in Sunderland.
“Here’s to a weekend of big heart, big tennis, and making Shropshire proud.”
Shropshire’s men’s team will face Cumbria, host county Lincolnshire and Oxfordshire in their group matches at Boston.
Captain Alex Parry leads a side which will also feature Ed Gibbs, Luke Henley, Matt Jones, Matt Lee, Tom Loxley and Duarte Monteiro, who replaces Roan Jones – currently in the USA at University North Carolina – as the only change from the Shropshire team which enjoyed promotion success at this year’s LTA Summer County Cup.
Alex said: “We’re coming off the back of an enjoyable Summer County Cup when we won Group 5, which was great news for Shropshire tennis.
“Apart from Roan Jones, who is currently playing well in the USA, we have the same team available again this weekend.
“Most of the team has been together for around 10 years now, and hopefully we can do well again this time.”
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