Warsash beat Warsash to win Portsmouth v Southampton Tennis League Solent Cup showpiece!

Warsash enter teams in the men’s competition in both leagues, utilising two different squads. And this winter both won their respective leagues, making the final a play off between the pair, writes ALAN BEST.

As often happens, the opening rubbers were shared, the respective No 1 pairs both victorious. And they were also level on games, 17 each!

But an injury then hampered one of the Southampton squad players, allowing Ian Udal and Matt Savage to stroll to a 6-1 6-1 rubber win for Portsmouth.

Greg Harold and Antonio Petrella kept Southampton in the hunt by winning the first set of the deciding rubber, but Andy Herrod Taylor and Max Parr took the second set to ensure that Portsmouth would reclaim the trophy.

The ladies match was rather less competitive. Southampton’s representatives, Winchester, defeated Chichester 4-0.

In the Portsmouth Summer League, Chichester’s men’s 1sts took on Denmead in their first match in the top division.

The opening rubbers both went to three sets, with, unusually, the respective second strings winning both, Chichester enjoying a six-game advantage. Having lost their first rubber, Chichester’s Jimmy Marks and Matt Worden made amends by beating Denmead’s top pair, again in three sets, but their

good work was in vain when Scott Salway and Andy Efford took the final rubber in straight sets. That allowed Denmead to take the winning draw points thanks to a 6-5 win on sets.

Ventnor were relegated by the smallest of margins the last time a full summer season was completed, and they set out to reclaim their top flight place with a 3-1 victory over CourtX 2.

In the same division Lee and Warsash drew 2-2 with the latter’s top pair, Sam Moon and Miles Quinn, taking both their rubbers in straight sets. Second pair Jonty Challis and Malcom Van Rooyen could not provide a support win, but did take two crucial sets, enabling their team to take the winning draw points by 6 sets to 4.

Playing in Men’s Division 4, Warsash 3rds lost 3-1 to Rowlands Castle, Matt Bennett and Peter Morgenroth scoring a double for Castle.

JEM Tennis mixed 1 were grateful to their experienced top pair, Andy Long and Liz Sherwood, for an opening 6-0 6-0 rubber win against Ryde Mead. That 12-game margin enabled them to claim a winning draw by just three games overall after the rubbers were shared 2-2 and the sets 4-4.

In the same division, CourtX beat Alverstoke 1sts 3-1.

Six teams were in action in Mixed Division 4, Abshott making their debut in the mixed leagues with a 3-1 victory over Warsash. Another new team, Southsea 2nds, also recorded a 3-1 win against Ryde Mead 2nds.

But the most remarkable result was Active Academy’s 4-0 win over Chichester, during which Active lost just two games in eight sets.

Finally, with the previous week’s midweek fixtures rained off, CourtX ladies posted the first midweek result of the season, a 4-0 win over Ryde Lawn 1sts.