Is the Warsash era of Portsmouth Tennis League dominance coming to an end?

CourtX v Avenue 1 mixed masters - Nicolette Lock, Ian Marks, Denise Simper, Neil Crawford, Robin Ellison, Sue Price, Dawn DeWilde and Bob Puncher

They say that one swallow doesn’t make a summer, and one tennis result does not necessarily make a season, writes ALAN BEST.

But does CourtX men’s 1’s victory over Warsash last weekend, following on from Chichester claiming the men’s division one title in the winter, suggest that maybe the era of Warsash dominating Portsmouth’s tennis is coming to an end?

Warsash have won 20 of the last 25 men’s titles but a team missing several of their regular star players was whitewashed 4-0 by CourtX. It was the first time that CourtX (formerly Canoe Lake and Southsea) have beaten them in at least 10 years.

CourtX’s second men’s team was also in rampant form, recording an equally emphatic 4-0 win over Ryde Lawn 2 in division two.

Avenue 2 v Carlton Green mixed masters - Mary Robinson, Phil Pinto, Anne Treagust, Mark Fullstone, Bettina Harvey, Steph Martin, Paul Edney and Gary Colmer

CourtX and Ryde Lawn also met up in a ladies’ division two match, but in this case it was Ryde who finished on top – but only just!

Three of the four rubbers went to three sets, but Ryde’s top pair, Andrea Waugh and Sue George, won their second rubber in straight sets and that was enough to give them the winning draw points by six sets to five.

Chichester 2 eased past Alverstoke 3-1 in ladies three, while a topsy-turvy match in ladies four saw Rowlands Castle’s top pair, Jane Mellor and Debbie Tapply, dominate both their rubbers, losing just seven games overall, but their second pair were unable to match their efforts, winning just seven games themselves, leaving the match tied on rubbers, sets and games.

There were some very close matches in the mixed leagues as well.

Avenue 4 went into the final set of their away match with Alverstoke 2 knowing they had to win that set by five clear games to claim the winning draw points. A four-game margin would have left the match tied, while a three-game margin handed the winning draw points to Alverstoke.

The home team pair, Sue and Chris Titterington, started well, winning their first service game, but opponents Sheila and Adrian Drummond stretched their lead out to 5-1. The seventh game went to deuce three times, but Avenue prevailed in the end!

CourtX and Warsash 2 shared the rubbers in their division two encounter, with CourtX claiming the extra point by five sets to four, while Fishbourne claimed a winning draw against Chichester 2 by exactly the same margin.

Chichester 1 went one better than their second team, with a 3-1 win over Avenue 3, while Rowlands Castle beat Abshot by the same margin.

The midweek mixed masters division one is already shaping up to be a fascinating season.

Swanmore have started strongly, winning both their opening matches, the latest away to Chichester.

CourtX and Avenue 1 fought for 11 sets before the latter took the winning draw points thanks to their men’s pair, Ian Marks and Neil Crawford, beating Robin Ellison and Bob Puncher in straight sets. The other three rubbers were all decided by match tie-breaks.

Division two is shaping up to be just as close. Fishbourne have opened up with two wins in their first two fixtures to set the pace, while Carlton Green shared the rubbers with Avenue 2 only to lose winning draw points on games countback.

Warsash 2 started their masters mixed three season with a 4-0 win over Southsea, while Chichester’s men’s masters team scored a notable 3-1 win against the summer league champions, Lee.