YELVERTON Tennis Club are celebrating after three of their five league teams were promoted at the end of the Plymouth and District Summer league season.

The ladies? B team narrowly secured promotion in the last game of the season with a 4-4 draw at Whiteford Road, who were 2 points behind Yelverton at the start of the match.

But with Shirley Every and Angie Lynch securing maximum points, Yelverton were still 2 points ahead at the end of the match and are promoted to division 2 with St Budeaux C.

Shirley and Angie received a merit award for this result. thanks go to Di Mayne and Liz Falconer who stood in for the unavailable Ann Short and Wendy Sharland.

The ladies? C team were in a similar position in division 5. Having been top of the league for most of the season they suffered only their second defeat against St Budeaux D losing 1-8 in the penultimate match of the season.

This meant that the winners of the final match of the season against Devonshire C would provide the second club to be promoted to division 4 next year. In a tightly fought contest there was excellent tennis and the final score 5-5 was a fair result, but meant that Yelverton, who had started the match 4 points ahead of Devonshire C, finished 4 points ahead and gained the second promotion place.

Kate Wright, making her debut for the C team, played well with Jenny Kay to gain 3 points, with Lyn Jones and Joy Tynan securing the other. Emily Murray and Joy Tynan also gained a merit award for their result against St Mellion B earlier in the season.

The ladies? A team in Division 1 had a more settled team in the second half of the season and Helen Smith, Karen Gasche, Julia Whetton and Fiona Spreadbury did very well to finish fourth in a tough division.

The final weeks of the season produced very different fortunes for the two Yelverton men?s teams. The A team in division 3 were playing for promotion while the B team in division 5 were trying to avoid relegation. The final match for both teams saw the A team needing 7 out of possible maximum of 8 points to secure a place in division 2 next year. With the captain Phil Gasche having been out for most of the season with an injury, and also with John Marshall having been recently hospitalised, resources were stretched. But the team comprising Roger Froud, Paul Every, Terry Leonard and Simon Murray pulled out all the stops to win 7-2 against a strong St Budeaux C team. Promotion was secured.

The news was less good for the B team who also needed a big win. their team of Mike Gilbert, Charles Hattersley, Jo Roe and Nick Murray came up against an in-form St Mellion B team and could not get enough points to avoid relegation.

The two junior Yelverton teams playing in division 1 and 3 of the Plymouth and District under 18 tennis leagues were well represented by 13 of the club?s juniors. Among them were five players making their league debuts. The debutants were Jenny Anderson, Tim Price, Ben Price, Tom Watkins and Tom Alway. The teams came fifth and fourth in their respective division.

Thanks go to all the players, parents who helped and to junior coach, Roger Froud. Coaching is open to all juniors in the area. For details contact Simon Murray on 852173.

The finals of the inter-club summer tournament were played in July. In the ladies? doubles Shirley Every and Wendy Sharland beat their opponents in two long competitive sets. The men?s doubles match was won by Joe Roe and David Williams and the mixed doubles by Helen Smith and David Williams. In the ladies singles played previously Julia Whetton defeated Mary Downey.

The men?s singles have been deferred because of illness.