Wickham suffer a whitewash despite winning more games!
A full series of matches in Ladies Division 1 of the Portsmouth Summer Tennis League saw the league beginning to take shape.
Comfortable wins for Lee 2nds (over Avenue 2nds) and Ryde Lawn (over Warsash 2nds), followed by Ryde Lawn 2nds inflicting a first defeat of the season on leaders Chichester, meant just one point now separates all four of these teams, writes ALAN BEST.
Wickham won more games (43-41) in their Division 4 fixture with Stubbington, but lost all four rubbers on match tie breaks.
Rowlands Castle’s first team demolished Southsea for the loss of just six games in the whole match, while their second team beat Avenue 4ths 3-1.
With Sunday’s play rained off, there was only one other match completed at the weekend, in which Avenue 3rds and Ryde Mead drew 2-2.
Avenue’s top pair, Paul Skipp and Tom Dow, won both their rubbers in straight sets and while the second Avenue pair, Neil Tigg and Ian Marks, lost both their rubbers, they won a set in each. And those sets were enough to give Avenue the winning draw points by 6 sets to 4.
Once again, the weather cleared enough to allow a full midweek programme to be completed.
Formed just six years ago with some 14 teams, the midweek leagues now boast an entry of 34 teams. Ten of those played during the week, providing 80 players with a playing opportunity that did not exist before.
One of those matches was an intra club one between Warsash men’s masters 1st and 2nd teams. The first team boasted an average age of 73 plus, while the 2nds were much younger - average age being 64. But age and experience prevailed, the seniors winning 3-1.
Other matches in the men’s competition saw CourtX beat Fishbourne by a comfortable sounding 4-0 but Fishbourne lost two tie breaks.
The Avenue v Chichester match was also decided by a match tie break, this one going in favour of the Havant team.
The only clear-cut win was for Lee, 4-0 victors over Wellow.
The ladies competition also produced some close finishes. Ryde Lawn and Chichester could only be separated by games countback, Ryde taking the winning draw point by just two games. Avenue 2nds and Swanmore also shared the rubbers, Swanmore edging home by 5 sets to 4 thanks to a set won by their second pair against Avenue’s top pair.
Rowlands Castle claimed a 3-1 win against Warsash, taking them to the top of ladies Division 2.
Rowlands’ mixed team played twice to catch up after a couple of rain-delayed matches.
They were drubbed 4-0 by Fishbourne but two days later took on Ryde Lawn 3rds in an 11-set epic.
With the opening rubbers shared, Castle’s men took the men v men’s rubber within ease.Ryde’sladieswereromping away with the ladies v ladies rubber, a set and 5-2 up, when Castle, inspired by 70 plus Sue Palmer, won the second set 7-5 and the tie break 10-8, giving them a 3-1 win.
Avenue 2nds defeated Carlton Green 3-1.