Promoted Courtx off to a flier with whitewash of Ryde Mead
There were some close matches and the away side often won out this week in the Portsmouth & District Tennis League.
Courtx 4ths started strongly on promotion to Men’s Division 2, not dropping a set at home to Ryde Mead 1sts, who had also been playing one division lower last summer.
Courtx 5ths had it even easier in Men’s Division 3 as Alverstoke 1sts conceded their match.
In Men’s Division 5, Ryde Mead’s new second team started well with a 4-0 win at Warsash 4ths.
Ryde’s one blemish was the opening set Mike Jenner and Brian Richardson lost to Jon Tims and Kevin Harris on a tie-break when the top pairs met after the break.
But Jenner and Richardson recovered to win 6-1 and then 10-2 in the match tie-break.
Steep 2nds – another new team in the division – lost a close match 3-1 at home to Lee 4ths.
Steep were level on rubbers and sets at the break. Ollie Mancaster and Louis Preece started well, before fading to lose their second rubber 7-6, 0-6, 2-6 to Lee’s Dan Dempsey and Dave Robjohns.
In Ladies’ Division 2, Rowlands Castle 1sts’ winning start was halted by a 4-0 home loss to Ryde Lawn 1sts.
Castle’s top pair had to retire through injury after narrowly losing their opening set, easing Ryde’s task, although the visitors were already looking strongly placed.
In Ladies’ Division 5, Chichester 3rds narrowly beat Denmead 5-4 on sets at home to take two points. Amanda Bembridge and Sue Taylor won Denmead a point with a 10-8 match tie-break win followed by a straightsets success.
In Mixed Division 3, Seacourt defeated Abshot by six games, thanks largely to Joe Dodgson’s and Caroline Mcdowell’s aggregate 24-5 game score.
Wickham won 3-1 at Alverstoke 2nds in Mixed Division 4.
Alverstoke’s Darren Humphrey and Laura Pritchard twice played match tie-breaks, winning the second 12-10.
Fishbourne also won away in Mixed Division 4, 4-0 at Southsea 2nds.