Portsmouth Tennis League: Warsash and Chichester set for winner-takes-all clash

In particular the two top men’s teams in the area, Warsash 1 and Chichester 1, who are due to meet at Warsash at 10am on Sunday, in a mouth-watering winner-takes-all clash to decide who represents Portsmouth in the annual Solent Cup match against the winners of the Southampton league.

In the meantime, in men’s division two, wins for Warsash 2 and Chichester 2, against Lee 3 and Alverstoke respectively, eased the relegation fears of both the winning clubs.

In division three, CourtX 4 eased past Avenue 3 without losing a rubber and Abshott CC won two match tie-breaks to overcome the resistance of Lee 4.

Men’s 5 is well behind schedule, with four clubs still having three matches to play before the end of the season. But the top two teams, Warsash 3 and Alverstoke 2, have completed their programmes and only Fishbourne 2, 3-1 winners against Southsea 2, have a realistic chance of catching the leading duo.

Just three ladies’ matches were completed last week, but both had a significant impact on the title race.

Current leaders Ryde Lawn 2 visited bottom club Warsash 2 and could have clinched the championship with a winning draw.

But they didn’t get close to that, losing all four rubbers – although all four were closely fought and could have gone either way.

In the other match, CourtX2’s Ashley Law and Chrissie Chresla won a vital last rubber match tie-break against Wendy Evans and Claire Keiditsch to give them a 3-1 win over club colleagues CoutX1, denting X1’s title hopes and bringing themselves back into contention.

Seacourt have already wrapped up ladies’ division three, while Fishbourne will be crowned champions in division four.

Avenue 4 scored a 3-1 win over Chichester 3 in division five, Zoe Larkin and Linda Wainwright winning both their rubbers for Avenue. Isabelle Buckland and Emma Laing beat Avenue’s second pair to gain a consolation rubber for Chichester.

There are still three matches to be completed in the division, and Alverstoke could usurp current leaders Lee 3, but only if they score three-point wins in their two remaining matches and Lee lose their last match without scoring a point!

Lee’s 4-0 victory over Avenue 1 in an epic match in mixed 1 actually handed the title to Warsash 1, as neither of the other teams can now catch them.

Poor reward perhaps for an encounter in which three of the four rubbers went to match tie-breaks – all won by Lee – and in which five of the eight full sets played were won either 7-5 or 7-6.

CourtX have had an up and down season in mixed two, but they produced a stunning display on Sunday to destroy championship contenders Avenue 2 4-0, conceding just six games in doing so.

Lynn Candlish/Terry Lawrence and Wendy Evans/Ryan Anders were the CourtX pairings. And with Avenue being so well beaten, Ventnor now look certain to win the divisional title.

Southsea and Avenue 3 played each other in successive days at the weekend to complete the mixed three programme.

Clive Paling and John Kemble played in both matches for Southsea, while Avenue fielded two completely different teams.

Perhaps it was the presence of the two Southsea men that swung the results, but Southsea won both encounters, 3-1 when playing at home, but only by one game on countback when playing on the clay courts at the Avenue.

The five points won by Southsea over the weekend were enough to take them above Alverstoke 1 and give them the title.

The midweek masters’ leagues have not been as badly hit by the weather as the weekend ones and the leagues are now all but complete.

Ladies’ one has just one match to be played – Chichester needing two points from their away match with Wellow to claim the title.

Lee have won division two, Warsash 2’s 3-1 win over Fishbourne having no impact on the leading positions.

Similarly, a win for Swanmore (3-1 against Ryde Lawn 2) in mixed one did not affect the leading positions, with Ryde Lawn 1 remaining in pole position.

And Warsash 1’s 3-1 win over Fishbourne means that the former completed an unbeaten season, earning them the title and promotion to division one next winter.

Lee’s men’s masters team were another to go through the season unbeaten to finish well clear of the rest in the title race.