Kenilworth's croquet side suffered their first setback of the West Midlands League season with a narrow 3–2 loss away to Eardisley, despite a strong start to the campaign.

Following back-to-back wins against Shrewsbury and Church Stretton, Kenilworth were hopeful of continuing their winning form.

However, fast, sun-scorched lawns at Eardisley presented difficult playing conditions, where precision proved hard to come by.

Adrian Morris continued his fine form in the opening singles match, overturning an early handicap deficit to post an impressive 26–14 victory, thanks to two well-constructed breaks.

In the doubles, Cliff Daniel and Philip Wood faced Eardisley's strongest pairing. The hosts made full use of their familiarity with the quick lawns, cruising to a dominant 24–5 win and drawing the match level.

The afternoon singles brought mixed fortunes for the visitors. Daniel started well but couldn't hold off his opponent's resurgence, falling 26–9. Wood, meanwhile, recovered from an early stumble to grind out an 18–15 win, taking the tie to a deciding fifth match.

That decider saw Morris return to the lawn to face Eardisley captain Tony Johnston. In a tactical battle, Johnston leveraged his handicap edge and adopted a cautious style to edge out Morris 20–12 and clinch the overall win for the home side.

Kenilworth will now regroup as they prepare to host Broadwas, from Worcester, in their final league fixture later this month.

For more information on croquet or to get involved, visit www.ktscc.co.uk, home of the Kenilworth Tennis, Squash and Croquet Club.