Hardy Vivien Morgan braves the cold to play three Portsmouth Tennis League matches in as many days

Warsash members at their clubhouse refurbishment grand reopening

While the majority of the area’s Portsmouth Tennis League players took one look at the weather and opted for a weekend in front of the television, Chichester’s Vivien Morgan put on her thermals and woolly hat and set off to earn some points for her club.

Accompanied by the equally hardy Gina Davis, Briony Burns and Suzanna Troy, she travelled to Seacourt on Hayling Island to play for Chichester ladies 2nds. But despite their best efforts, the team returned empty handed, Seacourt winning all four rubbers.

Undeterred, Vivien donned her tennis gear again on Sunday and, again accompanied by an almost equally hardy Gina Davis, they played a home mixed league match against Alverstoke.

Partnered by Jamie Mason, Vivien won her opening rubber against Chris and Laura Titterington. The pair lost their second rubber, but they did win a set.

Gina and husband Greg then replicated that result, winning one rubber and losing the other, but again they won a set. That left the sets level at 2-2, but the extra sets won by the Chichester pairs gave them the winning draw points by 6 sets to 4.

But Vivien was still not finished! On Monday she set off on her travels again, this time to Havant, to face Avenue in a mixed masters match - her third match in three (very cold) days!

Partnered by Simon Toft, she lost her mixed rubber against Neil Crawford and Denise Simpner, but once again she was able to win a crucial set.

Ileana Melendez and Andy Appleby won their opening rubber against Jenny Smith and George Bentley, to give Chichester a one set advantage at half-time.

Smith and Simpner levelled the match with a straight sets win over the Chichester ladies before an epic final rubber saw Appleby and Toft edge past Crawford and Bentley 5-7, 7-6 1-0.

That was a scoreline which not only levelled the rubbers, but also the sets and the games to compile a rare, tied match.

And Morgan and Davis were not the only two Chichester ladies to play more than one game at the weekend.

Before playing in the Avenue match, Melendez had turned out on Saturday for the ladies 1sts who romped to a 4-0 win against a Ryde Lawn team prepared to brave the weather to cross the Solent.

Just one other match survived the weekend freeze, Abshot strolling to a comfortable 4-0 win over Alverstoke in a mixed 3 encounter.

A slight improvement in the weather saw the midweek mixed 2 matches between Southsea/Warsash and Avenue 2nds/Fishbourne completed.

Warsash recorded a comfortable 4-0 success, and while the score in the other match was 3-1 to Avenue, it could very easily have been 3-1 the other way. The two mixed rubbers were won by Avenue, but only after match tie breaks in both rubbers.

*The existing Warsash Tennis Club clubhouse was erected and furnished in 2007. Since then, it had not been refurbished or upgraded.

But increased membership and careful financial planning enabled a total refit to a modern, fresh environment that has met with overriding approval and excitement from everyone within the club.

Designed by Emily Farrier (EJF Renovations) and assisted by her mother Sharon Farrier, both members of the club, the project was completed in November with the grand reopening taking place last weekend.

The ‘ribbon’ was cut by one of the club’s previous chairmen, David Sadler, and was attended by many members braving chilly conditions.

The ‘new’ clubhouse was toasted by all those present at the reopening.

Warsash TC has over 200 members and boasts of four LED floodlight courts. Their teams compete mainly in the Portsmouth League but also in the Southampton League and at national level.