Courtx make gr-eight start to summer league title defence
Courtx’s Men’s teams enjoyed a good win and two nail-biters in the Portsmouth & District Tennis League.
Courtx 1sts began their summer Men’s Division 1 title defence with a 4-0 home win against Ventnor.
Elliot Jones and Hugh Idle made it hard for them and once got as far as a tie- break, but Alfie Reynolds, Shaun De Jongh, Luke Steere and Bill Eales took all eight sets.
Fishbourne couldn’t raise a team and conceded their match to Avenue 1sts.
Men’s Division 2 saw the summer league’s first tie, when Courtx 4ths visited Ryde Lawn 1sts.
Martin Jewell and Andrey Califano’s 6-1, 6-4 win at the end brought the sides level on two rubbers, four sets and 38 games each.
Courtx 5ths also had a close encounter at PTC in Men’s Division 3. Both closing rubbers ended 10-8 in the match tie-break, one going to each side, for Courtx to shade the contest 40-38 on games.
Southsea 1sts beat Abshot 3-1 at home, with John Kemble and Andres Fernandez’s 7-6, 7-6 defeat of Russell Lewis and Adam Deleew proving crucial.
In Men’s Division 4, Warsash 3rds beat Ryde Lawn 3rds 4-0 at home.
Lee 1sts continued their dominance of Ladies’ Division 1 with a 4-0 win at Avenue 2nds (the club’s top team, as the league has no Avenue 1sts).
Megan Cremer and Bridget Watson came in as Lee’s second pair, but the team didn’t miss a beat.
Avenue closed the gap after the break but could not win a set.
In Ladies’ Division 2, Courtx 2nds recovered from dropping an early set to cruise to a 4-0 win over visitors Stubbington.
Chichester 2nds won 4-0 at Southsea in Ladies’ Division 3, losing their one set late on.
Chichester 2nds lead Mixed Division 3 after their 3-1 home win over Lee 3rds. Sivakumar Pillai and Megan Goring easily won their rubbers and Simon Webb and Angela Wiseman won their second rubber 10-8 in the champions tie-break.
In the Men’s Masters, Courtx beat Warsash 3-1 at home, with Martin Jewell and Keith Evans recording a perfect 24-0 game score.