2016-2017 SEASON SUMMARY

Despite winning four of six qualifying matches, Hertfordshire finished third in their group and progressed to the Division A Consolation Plate. Their participation in the competition was brought to an abrupt end at the hands of a strong Stockport Metro side.

The county started the season with two away games. An opening day loss to Buckinghamshire, eventual group winners, was followed by a win away at Northamptonshire's new home venue at Daventry. That weekend saw what was probably the decisive result of the season as London unexpectedly thumped Buckinghamshire 30-10.

The next two matches were at home where Hertfordshire completed a double over Northamptonshire before losing to Buckinghamshire. At this stage Hertfordshire topped the qualifying group but had played more matches than the other counties.

Hertfordshire's qualifying campaign was completed with back-to-back wins over London by the same score of 21-19 and a finishing total of 120 points, an average of 20 points per match.

The following weekend, Buckinghamshire reversed their earlier result against London which left the capital county needing a win in their last match to finish above Hertfordshire. They duly obliged against Northamptonshire and took second place in the group by just 3 points.

Hertfordshire's strong showing in the qualification phase earned a bye through to the quarter finals where they faced Stockport Metro. Despite a positive opening session in the singles and pairs, and trailing by only 2 points at the halfway stage, Hertfordshire were unable to hold back the onslaught from the northerners and were eventually comfortably dumped out of the competition.

All players who competed for Hertfordshire should feel proud of their performance. In most seasons, winning two thirds of qualifying matches would earn a place in the main draw. Special mention should go to Michael West who was the top individual performer with 11 wins from his 14 singles games.