Captains proud of the efforts of Shropshire tennis teams at LTA Summer County Cup

After impressively gaining back-to-back promotions in the last two years, Shropshire's men's team were relegated from Group 4 of the 2026 LTA Summer County Cup by the narrowest of margins - while a number of promising young players gained valuable experience by representing the county's women's team in Group 7.

Despite winning two of their five fixtures in Group 4 at Cromer Lawn Tennis & Racquet Club, Shropshire's men's team, having climbed the divisions to this time play at the highest level the county has ever experienced in the County Cup, finished in the bottom two.

They started and ended the week with excellent 5-4 wins over Herefordshire & Worcestershire and, on the final day, Staffordshire, with defeats in between against Yorkshire, Norfolk and table-toppers Derbyshire.

It meant Shropshire were one of three teams to have four points on the board, along with Norfolk and Staffordshire, with Herefordshire & Worcestershire at the bottom of the group.

Alex Parry, Shropshire's long-serving captain, said: "It came down to just a match either side in the end. Had we won one more match, we would have relegated Staffordshire, and had we won one more on the day we played them we would have relegated Norfolk, so we were unlucky to say the least. It's the tightest league finish I have come across.

"We were playing against teams like Yorkshire. They are much bigger in terms of a tennis county and are producing lots of world-ranked players. We're a small county in comparison who have been used to playing in a lower division, so the fact we were pushing to stay in division four, and could have done it, it's one of those where you look at it.

"It's the same guys in the team, a group of friends that have been playing together for some time now, so to go from where we were to where we are now is testament to the team.

"It was commented on during the week how big a family we look on court and how we treat the week, which is nice."

Derbyshire and Yorkshire, the top two sides in Group 4, the level Shropshire had reached, are both former Summer County Cup champions, so for them to be on Shropshire's fixture list underlined just what the team have achieved.

Alex was joined in the county men's team by Ed Gibbs, Matt Lee, Luke Henley, Roan Jones, Tom Loxley, Duarte Monterio and Matt Jones. Roan Jones arrived in Norfolk direct from reaching the singles semi-finals of a World Tennis Tour event in Tunisia - which lifted him to a career-high 1,324 in the ATP world rankings - and then headed off to Dublin to play in another M15 event.

Shropshire's women's team also included a player who has been impressing elsewhere, with Gwen Klu travelling straight to Frinton Lawn Tennis Club on the Essex coast after returning from enjoying an excellent Billie Jean King Cup debut for Ghana in which she won five of her seven matches in Botswana.

Gwen was one of a number of talented up and coming Shropshire players included in the side led by captain Elena Griffiths in Group 7, with the team also featuring Emilie Gradwell, Amy Dannatt, Erin Beards, Bella Burton, VV Alkureishi and Madeleine Crabb.

The highlight of the county's week was a fine 7-2 victory over South of Scotland, with Shropshire defeated in their other matches against Bedfordshire, Devon and Oxfordshire as they played at Frinton for the second consecutive year.

Elena said: "We concluded our campaign with a fourth-place finish in Group 7, but the week was about far more than results.

"Going into the competition, we knew we had one of the youngest teams in the group. The primary aim was to give our younger players the opportunity to compete against strong county opposition, gain valuable match experience and continue their development at this level.

"Throughout the week, the team showed great determination, resilience and team spirit. Every player embraced the challenge, competing with commitment and learning from each match. The experience of playing high-quality county tennis under pressure will be invaluable as they continue to progress.

"While finishing fourth may not reflect the potential of this young squad, the week has laid solid foundations for the future. The confidence, experience and belief gained from competing against experienced opponents will stand the players in good stead for future County Cup campaigns.

"As captain, I couldn't be prouder of the attitude and effort shown by every member of the team. They supported one another throughout the week and represented Shropshire with pride, professionalism and outstanding sportsmanship. With this experience behind them, I have no doubt the future is bright for Shropshire ladies tennis.

The Shropshire men's and women's sides were among hundreds of tennis players representing their counties in a competitive team environment around the country, with a busy week seeing 44 counties competing at grass court venues.

First played in 1895, County Week is one of the longest-running tennis tournaments in the domestic calendar, with teams for each tie consisting of three doubles pairs.

Pictured: The Shropshire women's team played their Group 7 games at Frinton Lawn Tennis Club.

Pictured: The Shropshire men's team headed east to play in Group 4 at Cromer Lawn Tennis & Racquet Club.