Winter League champions Chi looking over their shoulder at Summer League relegation – Portsmouth Tennis League round-up

In the men’s top flight, winter league champions Chichester entertained Ventnor, who made the long journey despite the weather threat.

The opening rubbers were shared, with just a single game between them, but Hugh Idle and Elliott Jones set the visitors on the path to victory with a straight sets win over Charlie Guimaraens and Dave Buzzard.

This was swiftly followed up by Elliott Rugg and Toby Trotman taking the first set against Chichester’s second pair. They could not hold out for the win, but the set won was enough to send the islanders home happy, having won the winning draw points and leaving Chichester looking over their shoulder at relegation.

In division 2, Warsash 2 ignored the dire weather forecast to cross the Solent to take on promotion rivals Ryde Lawn 1.

The home team started well, winning both the opening rubbers, but Miles Quinn and Sam Moon had got used to the fast astro turf courts for the reverse rubbers and they beat Martyn Bailey and Simon Jenkin in straight sets to give the visitors some hope.

James Cooney and James Smith soon quashed those hopes, winning comfortably in straight sets and keeping Ryde’s promotion hopes alive.

CourtX are having a cracking season and that was reinforced by the men’s 4th team who had a comfortable victory over Lee 3 to clinch the division 3 title.

With their first and second teams leading men’s 1 and 2 respectively, a hat-trick is in the offing.

Warsash 3 and Alverstoke, the two teams struggling at the bottom of division 4, shared the rubbers in their second encounter of the season, Alverstoke reversing the early season result to record their first victory of the season.

Chichester ladies 1 clinched the divisional title when they overcame nearest rivals Lee 2 3-1, while in division 2 Ryde Lawn 2 went back to the top of the table with a 3-1 win over Avenue 3. Warsash 3 eased their relegation fears by beating CourtX 2 3-1.

In division 4, Southsea and Lee 4 fought out the closest match of the week – with the rubbers and sets shared 2-2 and 5-5 respectively, Lee took the winning draw points by just two games.

Ryde Lawn teams were busy in the midweek leagues. All three mixed teams were in action, together with the ladies team.

The first and third mixed team, together with the ladies team, all endured rough crossings over the Solent .

Mixed 1 had already secured the championship, but they were well beaten by a strong Chichester team, the Sussex-based ladies pair being particularly ruthless in beating Ryde’s ladies 6-1 6-0.

The third team fared rather better. Their two married couples – Emma and Jon Brown and Jessica and Simon Mead – both won their mixed rubbers, and the men combined to take their rubber for a 3-1 overall win.

The third travelling team, the ladies, didn’t return empty-handed. They shared the rubbers 2-2 and the sets 5-5, just losing out on by four games on countback, taking one losing draw point for their efforts.

The final team in action, mixed 3, who stayed at home and entertained CourtX, won both the mixed rubbers. Although the ladies lost their rubber on a tie break, the men won in straight sets to give them all three points, enough to keep them clear of the relegation zone.