THPod 3.10: Is it time to ditch Summer Shutdowns?

THPod 3.11: Apsley down again, how does Portsmouth handle the heat?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375471/fan_mail/new] Sound the disappointment klaxon, all 12 Apsley league fixtures were binned off again this week as Rule 6ii was invoked again by the league. We’re not even half way through the season, and already there are 32 fixtures to reschedule and hotter weeks ahead.  With the league making it clear that there will be no opportunity to revise the rule, get ready for more disappointments to come.  Robin takes us through how Portsmouth has been handling the heat alerts. Seems to us that this is probably one area where Southampton can learn from Portsmouth.  At least we had the Wimbledon this week - Robin saw Sinner, Dave saw Bahrami and Rusedski, which probably says a lot about their differing tennis priorities! And perhaps their luck in the ballot.  This week we look more closely at Portsmouth & District’s Mens Summer Doubles leagues, where Court X continue to build on their excellent winter, Warsash are pushing for silverware and it turns out Rowlands Castle are the Colden Common of the east. We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTube using the handle @tennishampshirepodcast, including Robin’s explanation for how scoring works in Portsmouth’s leagues.  Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show: hello@thpod.uk [hello@thpod.uk] Speakpipe.com/THPOD [http://Speakpipe.com/THPOD] WhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289 Follow us at: Instagram @thampshirepod TikTok: hampshiretennispod Facebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast Youtube: @tennishampshirepodcast

THPod 3.10: Is it time to ditch Summer Shutdowns?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375471/fan_mail/new] The Apsley League administrators called in their new rule on super heat for the first time on June 27th, leaving plenty of tennis players fuming as 18 fixtures were cancelled. Hundreds of players up and down the county were left adrift.  The weather on the day wasn’t even that bad, so we ask… do the rules need an emergency change? We make the case for and against change, and then we ask Geoff Prince what he thinks.  It turns out both Tom and Dave have been messaging the league admin for answers. While we feel a bit bad about that, we suspect their inboxes were pretty busy anyways, at least based on what we’ve been hearing from other clubs.  Elsewhere, the Spring Season is done in the singles groups in Hampshire, well done to Stanmore players for winning three of them. We reckon at least one player has gone too far with bantz in the singles WhatsApp chat though.  The ladies doubles leagues are hotting up - with bog matches this weekend looking likely to prove decisive for Divisions 3A, 3B and 4. Division One might go all the way though, and bring a repeat of the winter drama between Thornden and Winchester. Will Magda still be here at the end of August? Thornden hope so! We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcast, including Robin’s explanation for how scoring works in Portsmouth’s leagues.  Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show: hello@thpod.uk [hello@thpod.uk] Speakpipe.com/THPOD [http://speakpipe.com/THPOD] Follow us at: Instagram @thampshirepod TikTok: hampshiretennispod Facebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

THPod 3.09: Rebirths and meltdowns as Apsley nears midway point

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375471/fan_mail/new] Week 12 of the summer season delivered rebirths and meltdowns among Hampshire’s tennis clubs.  Winchester are a new club under the leadership of a refreshed captaining structure. No longer the butt of our jokes on the pod, Winchester A showed what they can do when they visited Twyford A.  Winchester Captain Kevin Harris joins us to talk about how the new captains have turned things around this season, and why they will add some much needed quality back up in the Premier Division next season. Elsewhere, it was meltdown city for David Lloyd Southampton. Dave reckons the captains at DL over-thought their tactics, while Tom thinks they more or less played it straight. Either way, a 96-5 games loss is a devastating outcome in any division, even the notoriously brutal Premier.  Where next for DL Soton? Can they beat Twyford A’s performance against Riverside A when they make the road trip to Wiltshire on June 27th? If so, maybe we’ll cut then some slack on the show.  Dave went to Queens and was crestfallen that Hampshire's rising star Toby Samuel didn’t acknowledge his raucous support on Court One. Maybe Dave is doing the whole support thing wrong. Tom shows Dave how Hampshire lads do it. Stick around for our Paul Hand interview at the end of the show, What a gentleman. But did he play at Wimbledon 10 or 14 times? Whatever the case there, he was a class act at Twyford, and thought the grass there was good, too. We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcast, including Robin’s explanation for how scoring works in Portsmouth’s leagues.  Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show: hello@thpod.uk [hello@thpod.uk] Speakpipe.com/THPOD [http://speakpipe.com/THPOD] Follow us at: Instagram @thampshirepod TikTok: hampshiretennispod Facebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

THPod 3.08: Winchester Super Day and the David Lloyd derby

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375471/fan_mail/new] It’s a full weekend ahead for clubs in the Southampton LTA’s Apsley League, with 15 fixtures across all four divisions.  Robin Ellison and Dave Ernsberger explore the top four fixtures from either side of the Solent this weekend. It’s Winchester’s Super Day, including a visit to Dave’s Twyford, can they keep up their blistering form? And a rare David Lloyd Apsley derby is in store, as West End host Southampton. Will up and coming Captain Aaron Williams resist the temptation to bring a ringer? Over in Portsmouth, Avenue will be home to a lot of the top action this weekend, and we discuss club policies on spectators coming by to watch some of these great matches.  We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcast, including Robin’s explanation for how scoring works in Portsmouth’s leagues.  Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show: hello@thpod.uk [hello@thpod.uk] Speakpipe.com/THPOD [http://speakpipe.com/THPOD] Follow us at: Instagram @thampshirepod TikTok: hampshiretennispod Facebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

THPod 3.07: Milford Tennis rising, Apsley divisions taking shape

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375471/fan_mail/new] Milford Tennis made a big splash at the 2026 Hampshire & Isle of Wight tennis awards, leading us to wonder if they are on the ride in Hampshire. Better known for playing in the East Dorset leagues, can we encourage one of Hampshire’s finest clubs to give our own leagues a proper go? A hat trick of awards, their own seniors tourney and plum position in the New Forest makes us think so.  Having said that, Tom is still sore about some of their National League stuff… so maybe it’s better to leave well enough alone. The HIOW Singles Groups wind up this round on June 27th. Have you played? Dave is done. Tom has yet to get started. Neither of your podcast hosts have any wins yet. So… let’s move on.  In the Apsley, 16 fixtures have given a real shape to the divisions. Thornden slapped down Warsash in the end, while ruthless Riverside are now up and running. The toughest contests were in Division Four, however, where two 150+ game fixtures were played out in the baking heat of May 30.  We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcast, including Robin’s explanation for how scoring works in Portsmouth’s leagues.  Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show: hello@thpod.uk [hello@thpod.uk] Speakpipe.com/THPOD [http://speakpipe.com/THPOD] Follow us at: Instagram @thampshirepod TikTok: hampshiretennispod Facebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast