Portsmouth & District League tennis players brave Storm Dennis to complete league matches

Pride of place goes to the ladies from Avenue 4ths and Chichester 2nds.

There was nothing much more to play for than to avoid finishing bottom of Division 5 and with every other league match cancelled, they ignored the forecasts and completed their match in gale force gusts and light drizzle.

Sheila Drummond and Linda Barker completed a double for Avenue, beating Janet Briggs and Belen Gonzales 6-3, 6-1 and Angela Wiseman and Caroline Baverstock 6-3, 6-3.

The latter pair notched up Chichester’s only rubber success after being taken to a match tie break by Avenue’s Mary Robinson and Sally Barwood.

But Avenue wrapped up a 3-1 victory thanks to Robinson's and Barwood's win.

Conditions had improved by the time Avenue’s midweek ladies 2nd team took on Rowlands Castle, but only a little.

The wind had moderated to simply very strong and the match started in dry conditions.

Castle’s Nicky Baker and Lynne Foster got them off to a flying start, beating Angie Brown and Jeanette Bush 6-2, 6-4.

Nicolette Lock and Denise Simper then battled it out in a marathon two-hour rubber with Sue Palmer and Lynda Pine.

It was the Avenue pair who eventually prevailed in the match tie-break, but only after seeing two match points saved to clinch the rubber.

Things were tied at 1-1 although Castle were one set to the good.

Intermittent rain started to fall at the start of the reverse round of rubbers, but Avenue had to prevail in both victory and it was agreed they would carry on playing to give them the chance of winning.

But when Palmer and Pine beat Brown and Bush 6-1, 7-5, it was clear Castle could not lose the match.

Yet, Lock and Simper fought on and in the sleet, they edged past Baker and Foster in yet another match tie break to gain a point by

sharing the rubbers 2-2.

Castle edged it overall, though, taking the two winning draw points having claimed six sets to Avenue's four.

The final match completed also involved an Avenue team, this time the men’s midweek team, who took on

Canoe Lake.

The first round of rubbers was uneventful, with the opening pair from both teams easily overcoming the respective second string from either side.

But it did set up an exciting second round of rubbers.

Robin Ellison and Rod Bailey, playing as Canoe Lake’s second pair, comfortably beat Phil Pinto and Richard Ainscow.

That left Rob Mort and David Spink needing to win the final rubber in straight sets to give Avenue a chance of

winning the match.

They soon fell 4-0 behind before fighting back to win six games in a row to take the first set.

But Martin Jewell and Tim Fielder soon got in front again in the second set and this time there was no slip-up as they used all their experience to take the second set 6-1.

That ensured that Lake would win at least two points – and a taking the overall win in a match tie-break would give them all three. But Mort and Spink were, not yet done, as they defied wind, the steady drizzle and the opposition to take the tie break and claim a point for sharing the rubbers 2-2.