The Wiltshire Men’s 35+ team headed to Eastbourne for the 2026 County Cup, competing in Group 5b against Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex.
Three days, 15 rubbers, 34 sets, several match tie-breaks and an increasingly questionable collection of injuries later, Wiltshire finished third with one win and two defeats. On paper, that looks relatively straightforward. In reality, it was a weekend decided by some incredibly fine margins, and we weren’t far away from a very different final table.
We opened against Buckinghamshire on Friday and quickly discovered there were going to be very few easy matches in the group. With everyone still finding their feet on the grass, the tie went right down to the wire before Buckinghamshire eventually edged it 3-2. It was a frustrating way to start because there were opportunities to find the third rubber we needed, but there was very little between the sides and plenty of encouragement to take into Saturday.
That made the match against Essex particularly important. With our immediate objective being to secure our place in Group 5 for another year, we knew a win would put us in a strong position. The response was excellent. We produced comfortably our best overall performance of the weekend, winning 4-1 and getting exactly the result we needed.
That left us facing unbeaten Berkshire on Sunday. They were heading towards winning the group, and despite the increasingly tired bodies, we pushed the eventual champions all the way. For the second time in three days, the tie finished 3-2 against us, and once again the difference came down to the smallest of margins. A rubber here, a tie break there, or even a handful of points across the weekend could have left the final standings looking very different.
That is probably the overriding reflection from Eastbourne. Third place doesn’t quite tell the full story. There will inevitably be moments we look back on and wonder whether we could have found one more rubber, particularly against Buckinghamshire, and a little more grass court preparation beforehand might have helped us settle more quickly. But that is also the nature of County Cup tennis. The margins are small, every rubber matters and momentum can change very quickly.
Just as importantly, County Cup is about far more than the final table. The atmosphere within the Wiltshire team throughout the weekend was excellent. Whether playing, waiting to go on or supporting from the side, everyone stayed engaged and got behind whoever was on court. Even when matches weren’t going our way, that support never really dropped.
A huge thank you to everyone who played, supported and contributed across the three days. By Sunday there were plenty of tired and aching bodies, but everyone gave everything they had for Wiltshire. Our first objective was to stay in Group 5 and we achieved that. Plenty to build on for Eastbourne 2027.
