Surprisingly, it was the first pair of skipper Wayne Tideswell and James Fitton who dropped a set – halving their contest against Dominic Sefton and Karl Adams 4-6, 7-5 before comfortably beating the second pair 6-1, 6-1.

But there were no such slip-ups from Graeme Milligan and Claude Badowski – although one of their sets with Sefton and Adams went to a tie-break.

Tideswell said: "The grass at Abington didn't play too badly at all as they have had a fair bit of treatment. Just the odd one or two 'shot through'."

Tideswell was able to report on a busy week of matches at the Northampton Road club which included an unexpected 8-0 East Northants League success over Ferrersy.

"I didn't have the match in my diary and when the Ferrers players turned up just before 7pm I asked them if they were playing our other team and they said 'No, you'."

A hasty 10-minute session of six phone calls brought James Fitton, John Burrows and Chris Todd to the scene and Kettering ran out 8-0 winners.

Then 24 hours later Kettering's mixed Northampton League team of Tideswell/Sue Gibbons and James Fitton/Nicky Evans were beaten 6-2 at County B.

Kettering's B team are still undefeated in Division Two after being fast-tracked as Division Four champions last summer. After two opening 4-4 draws they recorded a 7-1 win at Dallington C.

A thrilling 6-4, 7-6 win for Neil Shorrock and Jamie Wetherell against Tim Graham and Jeff Servent helped Corby S&L A earn valuable points in a 6-2 defeat against Northampton A.

Northampton's other pair saw Dave Barrick jnr and Charlie Swallow blitz their opponents as they served up a whitewash against Luka Gagrica and Iain Wetherell and inflicted a 6-1, 6-1 defeat on Shorrock/Jamie Wetherell.

Gagrica and Iain Wetherell were also beaten 2-6, 0-6 by Graham and Servent.

Corby's B team came away from Brackley B with a 5-3 win – a result which gives them 16 points from three matches. Teenagers Darren and Scott Wetherell halved both their matches while Andrew Sawiak and Paul White won one and halved another.

Earls Barton B clinched a 5-3 win over Ferrers & Rushden in their Division Three Northampton tussle. First pair Simon Gourlay and Mark Williams were 6-3, 6-3 winners against James Roberts and Gareth Street and also halved 6-3, 2-6 with Mark and Lee Gay.

Barton's second pair David Nay and David Anderton beat Roberts and Street 6-2, 6-3 but lost their other match 2-6, 2-6.

Earls Barton's mixed A side opened with a 6-2 home defeat by Heyford Blues before earning a 4-4 draw at Dallington D and Barton's B team ladies can draw satisfaction from an 8-0 win at Dallington E in Division Three.

The winning Barton laides pairings were Judith White and Sarah Nicholls with Rosanna Griffin alongside Ann Hull. The closest set saw Griffin and Hull clinch a 7-5, 6-2 verdict over Dallington's Anita Billingham and Jo Jackson.

Wollaston's Division Two men were in action at County E where they went down 5-3. The final match on court saw County's first pair Rob Luckham and Graham Irons halve with opposite number Kerry Anderson and Roger Singh 6-7, 7-6.

Anderson and Singh were beaten by Matt Ward and Mark Ramsden but Wollaston's second pair Terry O'Reilly and Pete Wildman halved both matches.