Priory four's title delight

May 7 2008 By Paul Berry

EDGBASTON Priory are celebrating a notable scalp after their doubles team overcame fierce competition to claim the LTA's National Premier League title at Bristol.

Having qualified for the final stages at the city's Next Generation Club, the Priory quartet emerged victorious with their youngsters almost sealing a notable double at the same event.

Skipper Dan Kiernan led the team of Frederick Nielsen, Mark Hilton and Jonny Marray to an emphatic 4-0 quarter-final win against Liverpool without dropping a set.

Next up were top seeds Stoke Park, who included former Wimbledon doubles champion Stephen Huss and leading British players James Auckland and Lee Childs, but Priory again prevailed by a 3-1 scoreline.

Ian Flanagan and Jamie Delgado were among the Bristol team lying in wait in the final but Priory were not to be denied, Kiernan and Nielsen, and Hilton and Marray again winning all their rubbers.

"Although we started out seeded three and perhaps weren't expected to win at the start of the week I said I wouldn't swop any of the team for anyone else," said Kiernan, a coach at Priory's High Performance Centre.

"Well, maybe with the exception of myself. And I think I was proved right.

"The lads made life easy for me as captain, and it's great for Edgbaston Priory that we managed to win." The youngsters event played alongside was at under-10 level, with boys, girls and mixed doubles played for 15 minutes apiece and the score carried over.

The team of Luke Hammond, Alex Parker, Oliver Kitching, Lucy Porter, Charlotte Fox and Lucy Linnell defeated Taunton 34-12 in the semi finals before losing out on a deciding point in the final with South Wales after the score finished 20-20.