Norfolk teams keep up the winning form

The county's first and second teams have continued their unbeaten run in the Victor Sports Inter County Championships with convincing home victories over Leicestershire. The first team were up against a strong Leicester second string who were also unbeaten, but it was Norfolk who came out on top with an impressive 9-6 victory. Stars of the show were team captain, Katherine Cooper and Justin Gerrard who, despite tough opposition, maintained their 100% winning record in the three matches played so far this season.

But it was Leicester who got the match off to the better start, with Ian Murphy losing out in three ends to Carl Jennings and Michael Philpott going down to a very deceptive opponent in Will Westwood. But it was business as usual for Cooper and Julie Pike, with Pike getting her usual two sets victory and Cooper battling hard to win in three, to level the match score.

In the mens doubles, Murphy and Gerrard teamed up to win both their games as did Cooper and Toni Sturgeon in the ladies. Pike and Helen Newstead beat the Leicester second pair, but were unlucky to go down to their first pair in three sets.Paul Daynes and Jono Atmore missed out in two very close games.

Going into the mixed, Norfolk needed just one game to win the match and this came from Gerrard and Pike in two ends. Murphy and Cooper were up against very strong opponents in their mixed but emerged as winners, also in two ends. But the match ended with the Leicester 3rd pair getting the better of Philpott and Sturgeon in three sets, leaving Norfolk with a well deserved 9-6 victory.

It was a different story for the county second team who completely outplayed a relatively poor Leicester 4th team, with a 15-0 whitewash. In this impressive victory it was impossible to single out any individual players in such a rounded overall team performance, which saw only four games going to three sets.Representing Norfolk were Christian Nielsen, Alex Wyett, James Ruthen, Andy Piff, Charlotte Crosby, Louise Culyer, Michelle Lewin, Amber Nielsen and Katie Price.

Next Sunday's action will be at Taverham High School (12noon) when the first team take on Staffordshire and the second string are up against league leaders and arch-rivals, Suffolk 2. Spectators are welcome.

* The juniors continue to impress in the Shires League with very comfortable victories over Cambridgeshire, the Under 13s winning 19-1 and the Under 17s 17-3. Playing for the Under 13s were Ben Sharman, Robbie Hobson, Ben Page, Jacob Trend, Devon Minnis, Lauren Mortimer, Georgia Moyes and Kate Sawyer, who was called up just before the match started to make her Shires League debut. The girls were unbeaten for the Under 17s, with Serena Verney, Louise Thacker, Sophie Piper and Holly Bowen getting a clean sweep of victories. The boys, Andy Carrier, Luke Cox, Mark Robinson, Ashley Robb and Adam Simmonds, were not far behind, losing just three games.