After a strong start to the season, with some good wins under their belt, Sidmouth Men’s B team succumbed to defeat last Friday.

Team members Bob Hefill and Sam Marriott and John Clarke and David Thornley took on Victoria Park E and failed to take a single set.

It was, however, a good match against a friendly team of 20-something hard-hitting youngsters.

Hefill and Marriott took one set to a tie-break, and Clarke and Thornley could have taken at least one set, but both pairs failed to push home their advantages and relinquished a possible two points as a result.

The court surfaces at Victoria Park, particularly in the light rain, were slippery, and the thick cloud meant increasingly poor visibility as the first sets progressed. However, no excuses. Sidmouth were outplayed by a team that were more consistent and played deeper, harder shots.

The heavy loss leaves the Men’s B in a much less secure position in the table, although the next planned match at Lympstone has been cancelled as they have pulled out of the league. The Ladies’ A team also suffered a straightforward 0-8 loss on the same evening, playing away against Exeter Golf & Country Club.

A strong EGCC team was further boosted by the inclusion of a particularly hard-hitting Division One county player.

The home team also had the advantage of playing on a familiar artificial grass surface. It was, nevertheless, an enjoyable, if rather damp, evening of tennis.

Meanwhile, the mixed team fared much better in their first match of the season which was played at Christow against Teign Valley.

A 7-2 win in a beautiful countryside setting, rounded off by an amazing post-match supper, left the Sidmouth team in jubilant mood at the end of the evening.

Jake Harrison and Debbie Snelgrove were on the court for barely an hour in total - Harrison had a tournament in Torquay the next day and was keen to get home early - beating the second team 6-0, 6-0 and then the first team 6-0 ,6-1.

Peter Fung and Lesley Cranston had a longer tussle with Teign Valley’s first team and narrowly lost the championship tie break 8-10.