Players brave the weather to get Portsmouth & District Winter Tennis League restarted after lockdown

But the stalwart ladies from Southsea and Stubbington defied sleet showers and strong winds to complete their match. And a close one it was too.

The opening rubbers were shared after straight sets wins for the first pairs.

Stubbington’s Elaine Reed and Karen McCulloch then got the better of Helen Shelton and Emily Last, but only after a match tie break, while Heidi Leaver and Linda Swinburne took the final rubber for Southsea to ensure the rubbers were shared 2-2.

The set won by Shelton and Last in their losing rubber, though, gave Southsea the winning draw points by 5 sets to 4.

The men had rather better weather for their matches on Sunday, though Warsash’s hopes of a victory over Denmead were dashed when ‘Track and Trace’ caught up with one of their players an hour before the match was due to start, leaving them short.

Several telephone calls later, captain Matt Pond had been unable to find a Warsash member as a replacement, but rather than call off the match he arranged for a non-member to make up the team, thus automatically conceding two rubbers.

Warsash’s one valid pairing won both their rubbers, rescuing a point, but Denmead took the winning draw points.

Warsash 2nds were also in action at Canoe Lake 2 where the home team won thanks to second pair Dave Robertson and Pete Clark.

They lost their first rubber to Greg Harold and Chan Shene, but only after a match tie break. Then, having lost the first set to Mike Bevan and Graham Richardson, they fought back to level and then take the match tie break, giving their team a 3-1 victory.

Canoe Lake 3rds face Avenue 2nds at home in division 2, while their 4ths travelled to Fishbourne in division 3.

Avenue took all four rubbers, though not without a battle, while the 4ths’ match was a closer affair – the rubbers being shared 2-2 with Fishbourne taking the winning draw points by 5 sets to 4.

The division 3 clash between Alverstoke 2 and Southsea also ended with the rubbers shared 2-2.

Southsea could only field one pair, conceding two rubbers, but the pair who could play only dropped five games in four sets.

Nevertheless, Alverstoke took the winning draw points by virtue of winning those five games!

Avenue 3rds beat Warsash 3rds by 3 rubbers to 1, but not before they had been given a scare when Jake Betteridge and Syd Quinn, playing as the second pair for Warsash, beat Avenue’s nominated top pair, Rob Mort and Stewart Wiles.

Order was restored in the reverse rubbers when Mort and Wiles overcame Warsash’s top pair 6-3 6-1 to secure a 3-1 win.

The midweek leagues restarted in bright sunshine.

Three of the four rubbers in the match between Fishbourne and Carlton Green went to match tie breaks after Fishbourne’s Andre Rogers and Tamsin Saunders dropped just one game in beating Gwen Isaacs and Chris Jenkins.

Katy Bracher and Luke McEwan followed up with another win for Fishbourne after the first of the match tie breaks.

Fishbourne’s ladies then combined to edge their rubber before Carlton’s men salvaged some pride.