The AEGON Summer County Cup gets under way on Sunday 22 July as some
of Britain’s best players take to the court to represent their
county.


This doubles only event will be held at 15 grass court venues across Britain
over the course of the week, men’s and ladies’ teams from 44 counties will be in
action.


2012 sees a slightly revised format to the 118 year old event – men’s groups
1 to 7 and ladies groups 1 to 4 will be playing over 5 days (Monday 23 to Friday
27 July) and ladies groups 5a to 7 over 3 days (Sunday 22 to Tuesday 24 July). 
Regardless of whether a county is playing 3 or 5 days, the format of the event
remains the same and, within their group, each county will play each other in a
round-robin format – every match consisting of three doubles matches. Each daily
match consists of every pair in one team meeting every pair in the other over
the best of three sets, thus making nine rubbers in each match.


Group 1 is the ‘Premiership League’ with the top 6 men’s and
ladies’ counties playing at Devonshire Park, Eastbourne where the winners
will be crowned men’s and ladies’ AEGON Summer County Cup Champions.


Groups 2 to 7 will be contested with the top 2 teams being promoted and the
bottom 2 teams being relegated to the group below for next year’s
competition.


Hertfordshire Men, who have won the event 4 times in the last 6 years, and
Lancashire Ladies, who were the victorious champions in 2011, will be hoping for
a repeat performance as they begin their title defences. But there will be tough
opposition from Kent, Surrey, Norfolk, Derbyshire and Cheshire in the Men’s
Event and Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and Hampshire &
IOW in the Ladies Event.