Captains performance sets the tone against Bucks

The county first team completed the double over the Bucks second string with a 9-6 away victory at High Wycombe. Norfolk picked up three of the four singles matches. Ian Murphy and Jonny Cooper had comfortable wins, but team captain, Katherine Cooper, took the honours by winning a long, hard match of high standard against the Bucks no.1, 26-24, 12-21, 21-16. Murphy had finished his match long before Cooper had won her first set!

The men took all four level doubles, with Murphy and Cooper and Alex Wyett and Justin Gerrard pairing up to win with some good consistent attacking play.

The ladies found the going tough. Katherine Cooper and Amber Lillingstone narrowly lost to the Bucks first pair, but then beat the second pair in three sets but Helen Newstead and Katie Price, playing up from the second team, narrowly lost both their matches.

Norfolk needed to win two of the three mixed doubles to secure the maximum three match points. Murphy and Cooper started well for the visitors, but Gerrard and Lillingstone and Wyett and Newstead just missed out, giving Bucks a hard earned point. Both teams are now in joint second place in the league, with eight points apiece, but Norfolk have two matches in hand, the first of which will be away to bottom placed Lincolnshire next Sunday.

* Herts displayed their class with a comprehensive 19-1 Shires League victory over Norfolks Under 17s team. Daniel Leers picked up the countys only success, winning his singles match in three sets. This was followed by a 13-7 defeat at the hands of Lincolnshire.

Holly Bowen and Rebecca Chapman were playing up from the Under 15s and, alongwith Sarah Lewin and Ryan Minns, won their singles matches.

The side played well and to the best of their ability, but found the opposition too strong.

Representing Norfolk were John Carrier, Chris Piff, Ryan Minns, Daniel Leers, Lee Robinson, Sarah Lewin, Rebecca Heeles, Stephanie Rowland, Holly Bowen and Rebecca Chapman.