East tennis teams surpass expectations
East women surpassed themselves as a side promoted the previous year by climbing higher up the scale into Division Two for 2026.
As for the men it was no secret that they could struggle into Division One shorn of several key players but the squad dug deep and not only finished third but could have actually taken the title on the final day had Surrey opponents not proved too strong.
So, with wins over North Wales, Essex, Norfolk and Lincolnshire the East women go up again, their only defeat this year coming against Warwickshire on the Cheltenham courts.
Leading performers were Mhairi Beattie (10 sets won out of 13 played), Hanna Augustynska (9-11) and Sarah McFadyen (9-14).
Key was winning a series of tight matches by five ties to four.
Victories over North Scotland, Northamptonshire and South Wales while losing to Warwickshire and Surrey meant the men will return to Division One next year and if American based pro's Jake Fearnley and Matt Rankin were to become available that would boost their chances hugely.
Top individual performers on the Eastbourne grass were James MacKinlay (12-15) and Scott Duncan (11-15).
The East women's squad is pictured aas, back row, left to right – Mhairi BeBeattie, Eva Vrhunec, Heather Croll, Shaylin Holt. Front – Hanna Augustynska, Aaadya, Iyer Chadalawada, Ama Nisbet.
Men – left to right – Jamie Hunter, Lance Nisbet, James MacKinlay, Euan McIntosh, Rhys Watters, Sam MacNeil,Scott Duncan. Absent – Alan Macdonald.
Like this:
Like
Related
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Home on the range? Now Andy Murray's playing golf in the house!
Sir has taken his obsession with his new favourite sport to another level by having a golf simulator fitted in his home, his mother has disclosed. The Scot swapped his racquet for a set of clubs after his retirement from tennis and changed his profile description on X to 'I played tennis. I now play golf'. He is now aiming to become a scratch golfer, having reduced his handicap from seven to two in a matter of months. The 38-year-old has had a hi-tech simulator installed in his mansion in Surrey so he can practise his swing at all hours of the day and in all weathers. His mother Judy, 65, who has also taken up golf, said he needed something to keep his competitive streak flowing after retiring from tennis last summer. On the How to be 60 podcast, she said: 'Andy didn't play so much golf when he was younger, it was more football and tennis. 'Since he retired last summer he has really got into golf. His handicap is already two which is so annoying that somebody could get so good so quickly. 'He has almost swapped the tennis training and the tennis competition for golf. 'He has even put a simulator in his house. I can just imagine him down there, he videos himself and puts all these little apps and lines and things through it. 'He has truly got obsessed and I think it's a great thing because I did worry that when he retired from tennis he would miss the routine and the discipline of the daily training. This fills what could have been a big void for him.' She added: 'I asked him last week what his handicap was and he said 'Two' but sounded p***** off. I said 'What do you mean' and he said 'Well, I was 1.7 last week'.' Sir Andy has also been getting tips from football legend Gareth Bale on how to improve his game. During his time at Real Madrid, the Welshman, 36, earned the nickname 'The Golfer' and was even mocked by his own supporters for his golf obsession. Three-time Grand Slam champion Sir Andy retired after competing for Team GB at the Paris Olympics last summer. There are numerous golf simulators on the market with prices varying from just under £100 for a basic set-up to a staggering £65,999.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Surrey beat Bears to become T20 Blast champions
Overseas star Grace Harris delivered a sparkling 63 from 33 balls to lead Surrey to a five-wicket victory in the final of the inaugural Women's T20 Blast at The Australian all-rounder grabbed a nervy run chase by the scruff of the neck to guide favourites Surrey over the line after the Bears posted 153-9 in their 20 wicketkeeper batter Kira Chathli hit the winning runs with 20 balls to spare as Surrey secured the trophy in front of their home in the day, the Bears had reached the final by beating The Blaze in the semi-final eliminator with Issy Wong making 59 and taking 4-14. The Bears batted first in the final with Wong again top-scoring for her side with 31 before being bowled by Alexa Harris, the sister of Surrey's Grace, struck a typically ferocious 25 from 11 but the Bears struggled to build Franklin was the pick of the Surrey attack with 2-16, while two run outs helped to further restrict the Bears to 153-9 in 20 suffered early blows in their reply when Danni Wyatt-Hodge holed out to Em Arlott in the deep and Bryony Smith fell to the last ball in the powerplay. They were further rocked when Nat Wraith stumped Alice Capsey off Hannah Baker to leave them Dunkley got Surrey back on course with three boundaries from Millie Taylor's opening over and a six off Baker in the Dunkley was out to a smart piece of work behind the stumps from Wraith, Grace Harris took up the baton to play the match-defining innings, charging to her half-century at a strike rate of 200 and seeing her side home to claim the trophy. Despite losing the final, the Bears could take great heart from a day in which they comfortably beat The Blaze to reach the final, successfully defending a total of 163 to win by 20 was the star of the show but there was also an excellent performance from leg-spinner Millie Taylor who took 3-20 to turn the game in the Bears' favour when The Blaze had looked on course to make a date with Surrey.
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
Inside England captain Leah Williamson's romance with Miss USA winner Elle Smith
England captain Leah Williamson will be leading the Lionesses to hopeful victory in the Women's Euro 2025 finals tonight. Leah's England will take on former rivals Spain in St Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, two years after losing out on their World Cup attempt. All eyes will be on the England team, including 29-year-old team captain Leah, who was permanently appointed to the post by England manager Sarina Wiegman in 2022. But what do we know about Leah's life away from the pitch? Does she have a girlfriend or partner? When not leading her team to victory, Leah has made headlines for her rumoured romance with former Miss USA Elle Smith. Here's all we know about Leah Williamson's relationship with the 27-year-old beauty pageant winner. American journalist and beauty pageant contestant Elle Smith was crowned Miss USA in 2021. In the run-up to the competition, she was named Miss Kentucky USA that same year, making her only the second woman from Kentucky to win Miss USA. She went on to represent the United States at Miss Universe, ultimately finishing in the Top 10, losing out to India's Harnaaz Sandhu. Although they became romantically linked in 2024, Leah and Elle have not officially confirmed whether they are in a relationship. Speculation that the pair were 'soft-launching' a relationship began in March, when Elle posted a video of her and Leah floating in the ocean together on a paddleboard. This came accompanied by the caption 'happy birthday my love x,' to which Leah responded with a series of emojis. Since then, they have continued to pop up all over each other's social media, including a picture of them celebrating England's 6-0 win against Portugal, back in May. In the black-and-white picture, Leah sits on Elle's lap, with the former Miss USA titleholder's arms around her. In response to the picture, Leah commented: 'We did it🥹🥹🥹' Last month, Elle shared a series of snapshots from their holiday to Majorca together – many of which saw the pair looking very loved-up indeed. These images included a snap of Elle and Leah on a paddleboard together, as well as shots of them all dressed up and headed out for dinner. Leah shared her own carousel of images on her Instagram page, too, which included a number of grabs of Elle smiling and contented. Leah also showed her appreciation when Elle shared a series of snaps posing in her Skims bikini while on holiday in Jamaica for her birthday last month. 'I have no words,' Leah wrote in the comments to the post – to which Elle responded: 'all yours.' More Trending She then commented again soon afterwards, writing: 'Just come for a second viewing.' Elle has shared a message of support ahead of tonight's final, posting a snap of herself in a t-shirt to her Instagram Stories. This wasn't any old England t-shirt either. The message emblazoned on the white tee's front in red writing? 'Live, Laugh, Leah.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: How much do women footballers get paid? England player salaries revealed MORE: Why are Mary Earps and Millie Bright not playing for England at Euro 2025? MORE: Who is commentating on England's Euro 2025 final vs Spain? BBC and ITV line-ups
