Draycott men’s top tennis players competed in the National Premier League (NPL) for the third time this winter season and we are delighted to announce have just made the National Finals.

The NPL is an indoor winter tennis team competition for the top tennis teams across Great Britain. Clubs compete in a number of different regions with Draycott contesting a number of close games against clubs across the Midlands including Leicester, Derby, Sheffield and Milton Keynes.   The winners automatically qualify for the National Finals and the second place teams get a lifeline opportunity to reach the finals by competing in a playoff, where 12 teams compete for the final four qualifying spots.  Overall Draycott managed to win 4 out of 6 group matches and managed to sneak into the playoffs as a lucky loser.

Craig Leese the clubs resident tennis coach and top Staffordshire junior Elliot Farmer competed for Draycott in the playoffs at the Shrewsbury Club last weekend and managed to defeat a pair from local rivals Wolverhampton and a highly ranked pair from Gloucester to make the National Finals.  The Finals will take place in Sunderland on the 9th & 10th April on a stadium court against the top 16 tennis clubs in Great Britain. It would be great to get as much travelling support up to Sunderland for the team, as this is a once in a life time opportunity for them to be competing against elite clubs and players.

Captain Craig stated “We are delighted to reach the National Finals after competing against a number of top clubs in the country.  The team have performed well and we will train hard in preparation for the finals which is likely to include matches against the top clubs in Great Britain featuring some players with international rankings”.

The following players who competed in the group stages were Craig Leese, Elliott Farmer, Jack Redfern, Andy Cresswell, Matt Chandler and Ryan Hallam.