On the 31st October, Cambridgeshire 3 recorded their first ever win in the ICC with a 9-6 victory over Oxfordshire 3 at CRC. Fielding a new look team this season, including 3 juniors winning their first county caps, Cambs 3 got off to a slow with Will Hodgkinson and Campbell Wilson (J) losing both mens singles in 3 ends. The ladies faired better, with Laurel Bennet and Jess James (J) both recording wins to square the match, Laurel winning in 2 ends and Jess in 3.
Cambs got off to a strong start in the doubles with Will and Andy Kind overpowering the Oxfordshire 1st pair, winning in 2 ends. This was matched by Campbell and Josh Males (J) with a fantastic first senior win against the Oxfordshire second pair, again in 2 ends. Both the ladies first round games were very close, with Emma Best and Tracey Bichener unfortunate to lose a tight 3 ender. Laurel and Jess though ultimately proved too strong for the Oxfordshire 2nd pairing and came through an equally tight game to win in 3. This left the match score at 5-3 in favour of Cambs. The reverse doubles started in the same way as the previous games with Will and Andy again too strong for their opponents. Campbell and Josh found things tougher second time around, and went down in 2 close sets to the Oxfordshire 1st pair. The ladies were more successful, Emma and Tracey winning in 3 against the Oxfordshire 2nd pair and Laurel and Jess winning in 2 against the 1st pair. This final doubles game left the match score at 8-4 and confirmed a fantastic win for Cambs.
The icing on the already very special cake would have been to get maximum points, but the mixed proved a stretch too far. Josh and Emma won a close 3 ender for the 3rd mixed, but the first two mixed games had already gone to Oxfordshire with both Tracey and Andy, and Will and Laurel losing in 2 and 3 ends respectively. Nevertheless, for the 3rd team to record their first ever win in only their second season is a fantastic result. Next match is the 28th November at home to Middlesex 4.