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Search forCounty overcome big hurdle to earn Winter promotion
Tuesday, December 02, 2008, 07:30
The team travelled to Barnstaple for the Winter County Cup expecting a tough time.
They were playing in Group 4B, against Dorset, Cornwall and North Wales, with promotion available to only one team.
But captain Dennis Archer was hopeful – as long as his eight-man squad could get the weekend off to a good start against the strong Dorset squad.
That they did, in a match played over nine rubbers: six singles matches and three doubles matches.
Tom Rushby, Chris Archer and James Rushby all recorded victories as the singles were shared 3-3.
As expected, experienced doubles campaigners and brothers Tom and James Rushby then won the first doubles rubber.
The key was for Chris Archer and Dave Horton to win their rubber – which they did, in three sets.
It then did not matter that the team lost the last rubber, against Dorset's leading pair.
Buoyed by their success and knowing they were in the driving seat for promotion, Derbyshire had a much easier time of it against North Wales the next day, winning 6-2. Theywon four of the six singles rubber and two doubles rubbers, with the last one left unfinished.
In that match, there was a county debut for 16-year-old Tom Lister, who acquitted himself well, although it wasn't necessary for the rubber to be completed.
In the last match, five rubbers were sufficient to clinch promotion for Derbyshire and they acquired these with victory in five of the six singles matches, making the doubles unnecessary.
James Rushby and Chris Archer emerged from the weekend with perfect records, having won six times each, while Tom Rushby won four out of five.
The result left Dennis Archer enthusing about his young squad.
"The oldest player in the team is only 24, so that augurs well for the future," he said.
"We'd been in Group Four for the last two years, so we're up to three now and we can go into next year's matches with a lot of confidence."
There was less good news for Derbyshire's women, who have been relegated after finishing bottom of Group 4B in their Winter County Cup weekend in Sunderland.
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TEAM PLAYER: Tom Rushby won four out of five matches in Derbyshire's Winter County Cup success at the weekend.
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