In the eagerly anticipated ‘clash of the titans’ reigning champions Shottery A secured a comfortable 8-2 victory over newcomers Henley Pasties. Gary Stewart gained a treble without reply, while Stephen Foster was also unbeaten despite conceding a game to all three of his opponents. The pair then made it a memorable evening by combining to secure the doubles. Graham Poole earned Shottery’s eighth win in a five game encounter against Mike Evetts, but he was unable to overcome either debutant Tom Shortley or Jason Rainey despite earning a point more than the latter in another contest to go to the wire.

West Warwicks kicked off their season with a 7-3 victory over two-man Blazing Paddles. Andy Rowland was man of the match winning both his singles without the loss of a game, and then successfully partnering Alison Stewart in the doubles. Stewart enjoyed mixed fortunes with victory over four games against Wilf Chan before losing out by the same margin to Nello Mauri. 

In their next fixture West Warwicks were defeated at Shottery B by the same score. A Tim Fell treble provided the backbone to their opponents’ triumph although that looked unlikely after he scored just eight points in his first two games with Stewart, but the Shottery captain was able to turn their contest around to clinch it in the decider. Tony Remes and Ron Shakesheff each added braces but were unable to trouble Stewart who subsequently claimed the doubles with Peter Rodwell.

Tanworth Taipans began life in the Stratford league with a 9-1 win over FISSC. Mick Welsh was on top form for the village team, and Denis Kynaston also registered a treble despite being taken to a decider by both Peter Florence and Richard Bennett. Tim Lawrence went home with a brace but lost out to Florence in another encounter to go the distance.

Henley B came away from Ashorne with a 9-1 win. Robert McCluskey and Dave Milton enjoyed maximums, with Dave Hatcher earning a brace the highlight of which was overturning an early disadvantage to defeat Chris Bowles over the distance. However Hatcher couldn’t get the better of Roger Pye who thereby ensured the whitewash was avoided.

The spoils were shared when Veterans entertained Shottery C. Rob Poole proved the visitors’ mainstay with an unbeaten performance including the doubles with David Lincoln Lewis who also notched their crucial fifth set. George Mudie and John Hunt produced braces for Veterans and Brian Marston added a set over five games against Steve Price.