Midweek action only in the Portsmouth Winter Tennis League following weekend wash out

And at 3-0 by 6am on Wednesday morning, with yet another storm lashing the area, things were looking pretty bleak for the district’s Portsmouth Winter League tennis players.

But the hardy few scheduled to play on Wednesday were not deterred, and all five matches went ahead as planned.

Warsash did particularly well to field eight ladies on the same day, and four of them played in an intra-club mixed masters match between the club’s first and second teams.

The higher rated team won comfortably, as might be expected, but Michael Isaacs and Karen Downie were forced into a second set tie break before overcoming Sheena Quinn and Nick St John.

Quinn teamed up with Jan Grant in the ladies v ladies rubber and again forced the first team pair of Downie and Karen Kirwan into a tie break, albeit one they won.

Warsash’s other four ladies - Anne Hall, Denise Franks, Janet Beale and Julie Scaife - played in a ladies masters Division 2 match hosted by the newly-formed Wickham masters team.

The newcomers proved to be a bit too strong for their visitors, but an enjoyable match was followed up by an equally enjoyable cuppa!

With Tuesday’s Solent crossing problems resolved, Ryde Lawn ladies made the relatively short trip to take on CourtX on the Southsea seafront.

The wind and the bright sunshine made serving from one end particularly difficult – but, having not seen the sun for some time, no-one complained!

Ryde’s top pair, Carrie Bateman and Kahren Barter, won both their rubbers but the second pair, Anne Tapley and Christine Harrison, were taken to match tie breaks in both their rubbers, winning one and losing the other, enabling Ryde to claim a 3-1 win

Two men’s masters matches completed the programme, Fishbourne recording a first win of the season, visiting previously unbeaten Chichester and returning home with all three points after winning both the opening rubbers on match tie breaks.

Captain Dick Nicolson and partner Rob Moore then competed a double by beating Chichester’s top pair, Henry Thomson and Alan Coulthart.

Lee took advantage of Chichester’s defeat to move to the top of the table after their hard-fought win over CourtX. Nick Challis and John Dubber set the base for their win with two straight set rubber wins, and Lee’s second pair followed up with a match tie break win against Martyn Cox and Martin Jewell.