Portsmouth & District Tennis League: Avenue ladies stay busy while others take long festive break - plus all the latest new year results

But they collected mixed results from the matches they played just before Christmas and early in the new year.

In their final match of 2021, Avenue ladies recorded a resounding 3-1 win over Division 2 leaders Warsash 2nds as Heather Halliday and Debbie Berry won their rubbers in straight sets.

But it was not the desired start to the new year with second-placed Chichester claiming all four rubbers as Alverstoke fell to defeat - a result which left the division's top three teams separated by just three points.

Alverstoke took on Lee ladies 3rds over the festive period. In what was a closely fought contest, Lee eventually took the winning draw points on set countback, which was just five to Alverstoke's four in the end.

The awful weather washed out Saturday's schedule but there was some action the following day as Fishbourne’s men met a youthful Ventnor team.

Elliott Jones, just 17, teamed up with Hugh Idle to claim both his rubbers for the Isle of Wight team. The remaining two rubbers went to match tie-breaks with Fishbourne edging one but Ventnor took the other to secure a 3-1 victory.

The only other men's match completed saw Lee 3rds claimed a 4-0 whitewash win over JEM Tennis 2nds.

Chichester mixed 2nds cruised to a 4-0 victory over Wickham, yet the other two matches in Division 4 proved a lot closer.

Things were finely poised at seven-apiece in the deciding match tie-break, but Chris Weatherill and Gwen Isaacs held their nerve to win the final three points and secure Southsea's win over Carlton Green 2nds.

Rowlands Castle hosted Warsash 3rds in the same division and the match was also a mirror image. The opening rubbers were shared before Matt Bennett and Lynne Foster gave Castle the advantage with a tie-break win to complete a double.

The opening sets in the final rubber were shared but Roger Castle and Dawn Wears held their nerve in the tie-break to hand Warsash 3rds the victory.

Wellow were resounding 4-0 winners over Warsash in mixed masters Division 1 while another Warsash team - this time the club's midweek ladies team - were defeated 3-1 by Lee.

Chichester ladies were in a commanding position having taken the opening two rubbers on tie-breaks against CourtX, including Chi's Sara Smyth and Anna Moore beating the opposing top pair.

But there was a major change in fortunes in the reverse rubbers as CourtX claimed both in straight sets and took the winning draw points by six sets to Chichester's four.

CourtX beat Lee in the final midweek match, largely thanks to two match tie-break rubber wins from their top pairing of Tim Fielder and Martin Jewell.