Surprise victory for Ryde’s second pairing
Avenue ladies return from Isle of Wight trip empty-handed
Five years ago Emma Raducanu was playing local league tennis for her club in Bromley. Now she is the US Open champion. So, is the next Emma playing in the Portsmouth & District League? Who knows!
There are some 460 fixtures to be played over the winter, with a similar number in the summer season, so there is plenty of opportunity for any ambitious youngsters to hone their competitive skills.
Of the 460 winter matches, 120 (over 25 per cent) involve teams from the Isle of Wight, equivalent to just under 1,000 Solent crossings over the season. As a result, the league is very grateful for the generous support offered to our players by Wightlink.
The ladies from Avenue 1 were the first team to make the crossing this season, and they returned home empty handed.
Ryde Lawn 1sts took the three points thanks mainly to a surprise win for their second pair, Carrie Bateman and Kahren Barter, over Avenue’s No 1 pair Anna Newman and Emma Boucher.
Newman and Boucher beat Ryde’s top pair, but by then the damage had been done.
Ryde 2nds ladies made the crossing in the other direction, beating Chichester 2nds 3-1 with Suree Russell and Andrea Waugh winning both their rubbers.
In the same division, Ladies 2, Warsash 2nds got their winter campaign off to a good start, with a 4-0 win over Lee 2nds.
Ladies 3 saw a 4-0 win for CourtX 2nds against Ventnor, but it was not quite as straightforward as it looks.
CourtX had to win tie breaks in both the opening rubbers and were then taken to 7-5, 7-5 in a third rubber before securing victory.
In the same division, Seacourt beat Avenue 3rds 4-0.
The final ladies match, in Division 5, saw Southsea lose just three games in six sets until Caroline Baverstock and Janet Briggs fought back to win the final rubber for Chichester 2nds.
Men’s Division 2 should be very competitive. Promoted Fishbourne 1sts started in style, beating Warsash 2nds 3-1, while CourtX 2 won 3-1 after 11 gruelling sets at Ryde Lawn 2nds.
CourtX men’s 4ths were also in action, where Carlton Green’s second pair, Chris Weatherill and Peter Hewson, surprised Court No 1s Tim Fielder and Rod Bailey; having lost the second set 0-6, they won the match tie break before claiming a 3-1 win overall.
Other Division 4 results saw Lee 4ths beat Fishbourne 2nds 3-1 while Southsea 4ths and Rowlands Castle fought out a marathon with the rubbers shared 2-2. Southsea claimed the points by winning six of the 11 sets played.
The only mixed match involved Avenue 2nds and Ryde Lawn,
Avenue winning 3-1 thanks to Lucy Smith and Doug Galley’s double. The midweek “masters” competition resumed with two ladies matches. Avenue 1sts’ Heather Halliday and Jackie Edney claimed a tie break win over Sara Smyth and Kate Hogan to clinch a 3-1 match win, Smyth and Hogan having beaten Gill Clarke and Nicky Woolhead to claim a consolation rubber.
CourtX midweek ladies swept all before them in the “restart” competition, but the IoW clubs were unable to enter a team in that competition due to travel restrictions.
Ryde are now back and they halted CourtX’s march, but only just. Rubbers were shared 2-2 and the sets 4-4, the teams being separated only on games won – and then only by four games.