On Friday last week, the Mens 1 team played their final match of the season and won 5-4 against Central Leicester Mens 1, reversing the result and gaining revenge for defeat the previous week.

After their narrow defeat at home, the team knew the away fixture would be another close contest, with a few points being the difference between winning or losing a rubber.

Henri & Raheel won one out of three rubbers along with Alex L & Steve, both pairs beating Central's second pair. David & Lee had struggled to find top gear in the last couple matches, but fought hard and won their first two rubbers. With the scores tied at 4-4, David & Lee won their final rubber and secured victory for the team. They rightly deserve the title of star performers this time around.

It's been a season of 'what ifs' for the Mens 1 team, who finish with a record of 7 wins and 3 losses and just miss out on promotion. Thank you to everyone who played for the Mens 1 team this season.

On Monday last week, our Ladies team lost 2-7 against a strong Leicester University Ladies 1 team.

Samira & Ayesha were the only pair to win any rubbers, winning two out of three. Unfortunately, Jing & Claire were unable to win a rubber, along with Carole & Judith. Caroline, the team captain, was recovering from knee surgery and unable to play.
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This was the last match of the season. The match against Ashby Ladies that was postponed on the 24th March could not be rearranged and has been conceded by Ashby.

It's been a tough season for Caroline and her Ladies team, who finish with a record of 4 wins and 8 losses. Thank you to everyone who played this season. Here's hoping the team's fortunes change next season.

On Monday, the Mens 1 team lost 4-5 against Central Leicester Mens 1, ending any hopes of promotion.

David & Lee won one of their three rubbers, beating Central's second pair and losing narrowly to the first and third pairs. The story was the same for Alex L & Alex B, who also beat the second pair and just lost out to the first and third pairs. This was a creditable performance considering they've not played together competitively.

Henri & Raheel faired better and won two out of three rubbers. With the scores level at 4-4, hopes of victory rested on Henri & Raheel winning all three rubbers by beating Central's third pair in the last rubber. Unfortunately, it was not to be and they lost in three games.

It was yet another match where the players rued missed opportunities and this loss ends the promotion push for this season with a match to go. Mens 1 will be hoping to reverse the result when the teams meet again in just over a weeks time on Friday 29th April.

The New Hall team lost 9-11 against Loughborough Leys New Hall 2 last night, in a closely fought contest.

After drawing 10-10 in the away fixture back in November, the team knew it would be another match played with fine margins. Croakers were down 5-7 after the singles and doubles games and couldn't quite overturn that lead, drawing the mixed games 4-4. The team was composed of Samira, Ayesha, Jing, Henri, Raheel and Lee.

That was the last match of a successful season in division 2. The number one priority was to stay in the division and that has been achieved, so well done to everyone who contributed to a successful campaign. I'm sure David, the team captain, would like to pass on his thanks.

Here's to another successful season in 2016/17.

The Ladies team won 5-4 against Melton OGs Ladies 1 last night, putting their recent troubles behind them with a determined performance.

Samira & Ayesha played brilliantly, winning all three rubbers in two games. Kate & Jing also played really well, beating Melton OGs first and third pairs. They lost to the second pair in three close games, losing 19-21 in the decider. Carole & Judith fought hard and played well too, but lost all three rubbers. Caroline, the team captain, was unable to play due to an ongoing knee injury.

It's been a frustrating few months for Caroline and her Ladies team, with three out of the last four matches conceded. However, the team played brilliantly to beat the division leaders and shows that despite their position in the table, they can compete with the best teams. Well done, Ladies.

The next scheduled match is against Leicester University Ladies 1 on Monday 25th April.

​The Mens 1 team lost 2-7 against Meltonshire Mens 2 on Friday, leaving any hopes of promotion resting on the final two matches against Central Leicester Mens 1, who lead the division.

David & Lee lost narrowly to Meltonshire's first pair, had a horror show against the second pair, but came back strongly to beat the third pair in two games. Henri & Raheel beat Meltonshire's second pair, but lost out to the first and third pairs. Unfortunately, Alex & Joel had to concede their rubbers after Joel rolled his knee and spent the evening with a cold compress. We all hope Joel makes a quick recovery.

Although the scoreline suggests otherwise, the team came away thinking it was a missed opportunity. On another day and with a healthy team the result may have been different.

The first of the final two matches against Central Leicester Mens 1 is the home fixture on Monday 18th April.

Yesterday's match between Croakers Ladies and Loughborough Ladies 2 was conceded by Croakers.

The Ladies team continues to struggle this season with an increasingly small pool of players available to play.

The away match scheduled for Thursday this week (24th March) against Ashby Ladies 1 has been cancelled and is to be rearranged. The next scheduled match is against Melton OG Ladies 1 on Monday 11th April.

​The Mens 1 team won 6-3 against Enderby Mens 1 last night, making it six wins from seven matches.

​Enderby had no third pair and conceded three rubbers, but after losing the first two rubbers of the night, a Croakers victory was not a foregone conclusion. However, the team stood firm and won sufficient rubbers to secure the win.
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David & Lee struggled to find their rhythm and lost to Enderby’s first pair, but after a few words of encouragement from the team captain, beat the second pair in two games. The star performers on the night were Raheel & Alex B, winning both rubbers, including a dogged performance against Enderby’s first pair. This was Alex B's first league match since joining Croakers - an impressive debut. Aside from the concession, Steve & Alex L were unable to win a rubber, but gave a good account of themselves and were unlucky on a few points.

The next match is against Meltonshire Mens 2 on Friday 8th April.

It's been over a month since their last match, but Croakers' New Hall team blew the dust from a scoresheet and won 15-5 against Hermitage Lakeside New Hall 1 on Friday.

Croakers started strongly, coming away with a 9-3 scoreline after the singles, men's and ladies' doubles. The team then continued to dominate, winning the mixed games 6-2. The team was comprised of Claire, Samira, Ayesha, David, Lee and Raheel.

David, the team captain, said, "Well played team! A good effort all round and a pleasure playing with you all."

The next and last match of the season is against Loughborough Leys New Hall 2 on Wednesday 13th April.

Tonight's match between Croakers' Mens 1 team and Enderby Mens 1 has been conceded by Enderby.

This concession gifts the Mens 1 team maximum points and makes it five wins from six matches.

The next match is the return fixture against Enderby Mens 1 on Sunday 20th March.