Please find details below of the Club tennis matches played and recorded since last Thursday: –
Portsmouth & District Winter League
Ladies Division 1 – Avenue 1 lost to Chichester 1 (0-4) – Anna Newman, Gill Clarke, Viola Masona, Natalie Denby
Match report
Our latest match against Chichester was an entertaining one with 40mph gusts moving the balls in ways we had never seen. The result didn’t go in our favour but 2 matches were lost on championship tie breaks. Unfortunately Gill had to retire in the 2nd rubber with a pulled hamstring. Get well soon Gill. I do believe this match could of gone either way with just a few points resulting in our defeat. Well battled ladies in horrendous conditions. Anna Newman
Ladies Division 4 – Avenue 4 lost to Alverstoke (1-3) – Sheila Drummond, Linda Barber, Chloe Treagust, Netty Hart
Match report
From the very first serve, it was clear that the swirling wind would be the fifth player on court! Lobs meant to arc gracefully over the net were snatched away, while well-placed volleys veered unpredictably at the last second. Rallies were punctuated by laughter and groans as shots that should have sailed in drifted metres out. The very strong westerlies turned routine overheads into wild guesses, and even the simplest returns were made tricky by swirling currents. Later in the morning we were treated to low winter sun, an unscheduled downpour, and a beautiful rainbow – definitely four seasons in one day! Despite the challenging conditions, both Avenue pairs embraced the chaos, trying to adjust their tactics and trying to find joy in the unpredictability. We were disappointed not to come away with a point. Linda and Sheila appeared to have the upper hand against Alverstoke’s 2nd pair, but narrowly failed in the tie-break and championship tie-break. The host’s 1st pair were in a different league – very strong players and both Avenue pairs could only hope to get on the board against them. In their second rubber Chloe and Netty played valiantly and won 6-2, 6-4 to take the final result to 1-3. The lunch provided was delicious and the impromptu “quiz” to discover where Sandra Gomez originally came from was fun. We can only hope to improve in our four matches in 2026! Well done everyone for your efforts. Sheila Drummond
Mixed Division 3 – Avenue 3 beat Steep (3-1) – Alison Clarke, Bailey Rowsell, Katy Loh, David Spink
Match report (see photos)
With the weather forecast for match day (Sunday) looking bleak to say the least, it looked extremely unlikely that this fixture would go ahead. However, that didn’t take into consideration the determination of both team’s players to battle through the cold and drizzle and complete the first round of rubbers. Our scratch pairing of Katy Loh and David Spink came up trumps in the first rubber with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Steep’s 2nd pair thanks to Katy’s classy play combined with David’s by now infamous array of drop shots and passes down the line, complimenting each other perfectly. On the next court by now becoming saturated with the rain, Bailey and Alison battled hard to get to a first set tie-break which they narrowly lost and again ran their opponents close in the second set eventually losing 5-7. So with honours even and the rain coming down even harder, the brave decision was made by both teams to see this top of the table clash through to its conclusion. With large puddles forming on both courts and a championship leading position at stake for both teams, I could only watch from the Club balcony in total admiration as the soaked players continued to play. The match between Katy & David and Steep’s first pair was always going to be close affair. Our scratch duo simply continued where they left off and came away with an excellent 7-5, 6-4 win to ensure that we were going to secure at least a valuable point from this fixture. This however didn’t take into account the sheer will of the Bailey/Alison combination who clearly wanted more and defeated Steep’s 2nd pair 6-1, 6-4 to take all 3 points available and overtake Steep at the top of the Division 3 table. An amazing outcome to a very difficult match and I can’t thank my players enough for seeing this match through. Well done Katy, David, Alison and Bailey!
Paul Whittenham
Avenue Mixed 3 – The amazing court conditions on Sunday!!!!!!
Mixed Masters Division 1 – Avenue 1 beat Warsash 1 (3-1) – Jenny Smith, Martin Mallick, Nicolette Lock, Ian Holt
East Hants Winter League
Veterans Mixed Division 2 – Avenue lost to Avondale B (0-4) – Tina Leighton-Smith, Matt Bennett, Michele Voysey, Misha Filip
Portsmouth News Article
Last Saturday’s report can be found at the following link: Portsmouth & District LTA
Paul Whittenham
0 Comments