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Veteran teams to join the British elite

TENNIS by Jackie Thorley

TWO Staffordshire veterans teams will join the best in Britain after winning promotion to the fast lane. The women's over-60s and men's over-55s maintained a stunning 100 per cent winning record to finish an impressive season as Group Two champions and earn a slot with the elite. Basford pair June Fisher and Marian Denham, Jean Hulme (Lichfield), Dilys Thomas and Jean Froggatt (Burton) defeated Lancashire, Oxfordshire, West Scotland, South Wales and Derbyshire to lift the title.

Their success was then mirrored by the men's over-55s team, who whitewashed Cumbria and South Wales and gained further victories against West Scotland, Leicestershire and Cheshire. Joining the line-up were Florence players Neil McPherson and Phil Ingram and Streetly duo David Lloyd and Andrew Eley.

A brace of wins at the end of the season captured a Group Two place for the men's over-45s. Staffs beat East Scotland 4-1 and Cumbria 5-0 and lost 3-2 to Durham and Cleveland, but they saw off Shropshire 4-1 and Berkshire 5-0 last weekend to move out of Group Three.

Meanwhile, the women's over-40s won three out of five Division Two B matches to finish level on points with Durham and Cleveland-but with one less set they remain in the group.

Sentinel, 02 October 2007
Courtesy of The Sentinel News & Media