The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWith just two fixtures left across all five of Hampshire’s Ladies Doubles leagues, we’re ready to call the results for the summer - the champions are in!Tom’s had an email from the leagues about promotions and relegations in the men’s doubles, and he’s not particularly thrilled with the logic. Meanwhile Mixed and Mens Doubles exploded into life at the Hampshire & IOW County Championships, while we get ready for singles finals day on Saturday, August 29th.Plus Dave won in his Twyford A team debut, and we have six Apsley fixtures to preview for this weekend. Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODWhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastYoutube: @tennishampshirepodcast

Send us Fan MailThe Hampshire & IOW County Championships get started on Sunday, August 23rd and they’ll be running all week. Dave and Tom call their favourites for Mens, Ladies, and the doubles events that are going on. Most categories are wide open. Will we see some batons being passed, or will some of the current big names keep their prime spots? Elsewhere, Paul Scullard puts Hampshire’s singles league players on the naughty step, and we support his message to the players. And that includes both Tom and Dave, who are among the players who are yet to get off the mark seven weeks into the summer. Hey… Spain, Wales, stuff… you know…. Well, the league has had enough! We reflect on our crimes against tennis, and think of ways singles could generate more momentum in what is already a pretty good event. And there are 14 Apsley fixtures this weekend including a few very exciting ones. As I write the show notes here on Saturday, I already know of at least one upset in the higher divisions. Speaking of batons being passed. But we recorded this on Friday, when all the matchers were still to be played, so no spoilers here. Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODWhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastYoutube: @tennishampshirepodcast

Send us Fan MailBorn in Bracknell, raised in Basingstoke, trained in Totton… Esther Adeshina eventually left Hampshire for the University of Tennessee and, a couple of years ago, joined the pro circuit. Unlike so many local juniors, Esther made the jump and pushed up the world rankings. In June she started to attract national attention with a big win at the Wimbledon qualifiers. Esther joins us to talk about managing life as a pro, staying away from injury, mental health and more. This one’s a must listen, especially if you dream of being a pro one day, or indeed, if you ever did. Check out Esther on Instagram here:  https://www.instagram.com/esther.adeshina?igsh=OGRlY3B3bnc2OXVk Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODWhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289 Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastYoutube: @tennishampshirepodcast

Send us Fan MailMind games are part of the core test that tennis offers, whatever level you’re playing at. Bluff, counter-bluff, these are table stakes. But what about the Cheeky Changeover, the Hooker and the Revenge Caller? Do you ever do the Slow Roll or the Switch-Up? If you listen to this podcast, you’ve definitely been Al Pacino’d and dealt a Michael Chang or two, whether you know it or not. This week we’re joined by Sam Tapsell, founder and host of the Absolute Football Podcast. He's also a father of two little ones and a top 10 player from Division Two in the Apsley League. Where does he find the time?. Who better than a tennis/football crossover to help us examine the Dark Arts of tennis. In this show we compare our top five mind games, including the acceptable stuff with a little bit of Beast Mode thrown in for when things start to get off the rails. There are also 14 Apsley fixtures to look back on from August 1-2, and eight more to come this weekend, as long as the Amber Heat Health Alert ends at 10am on Saturday like it’s supposed to. Meanwhile all hell breaks loose with the government’s new emergency alerts on our phones. Who’s setting off fireworks while we’re all sitting on a giant island full of dry grass? Sheesh.The barbecuing I get... don't they do that in Manchester too?Check out Sam Tapsell’s Absolute Football Podcast on YouTube at @absolutefootballpodcastYou can find Sam himself on Instagram at @samabsolutefblMichael Chang talking about his underarm serve against Ivan Lendl at the French Open: https://youtu.be/u0NkCiZsAJ4?is=Hgy0zm9PyiDzNvMz.  (to think all these kids think it was invented by Kyrgios!)The conversation about Cam Norrie on The Tennis Podcast taken from “Does Sinner’s injury open US Open door?” Published on August 10, 2026.Thornden’s coverage of the solar eclipse from their tennis courts is worth a watch: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db9CitoN6um/?igsh=bDYwbGhwbmk3dDc0Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODWhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastYoutube: @tennishampshirepodcast

Send us Fan MailWe take a break from all the league action to check in with Freddie Bott, young entrepreneur and founder of Preserva, makers of re-pressurizing tubes for tennis and padel balls. Have you noticed a proliferation of these devices on courts near you? Balls certainly aren’t getting any cheaper in what is already quite an expensive sport to play. Plus, it’s pretty wasteful to move through balls too quickly. But are these balls really any good? We put these questions and more to Freddie, who joins from Crondall, northeast Hampshire. Find out more about Preserva here: https://www.preserva.co.ukSend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODWhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastYoutube: @tennishampshirepodcast

Send us Fan MailIt’s a seminal weekend ahead for Portsmouth & District summer tennis, and the top tables could be more or less settled across the Mixed, Mens and Ladies doubles leagues by Monday morning. Robin Ellison joins us this week to take a look at the fixtures that will play a big role in deciding things in east Hampshire. Meanwhile on the west side of the county, Riverside A claimed top spot in the Apsley league last weekend as Thornden sat things out. This weekend Riverside take a break while Thornden are back in action. Can Lee on Solent stop Thornden from reclaiming pole position? Their Premier Division survival could depend on it.Rob Ernsberger's Twyford B team make the road trip to Riverside to meet their B team. Both teams have perfect records and the pennant is on the line. Who will win? Hard to say, but it's our first five chilli match of the summer. Meanwhile Dave discusses grumpy coaches in Spain, Robin has been to Wickham Festival, Milton on Sea host a Grade Four tournament and Colden Common Tennis Club turns ten years old. Find out more about the Milford Open: https://competitions.lta.org.uk/tournament/F7702E51-C6F6-4894-8553-80569225607ASongs used in this weeks show: Opening “Classical Gas [Mason Williams]” performed by Tommy EmmanuelAccompanying Mark Jackson's sting is “Deep River Blues” performed by Tommy Emmanuel with Jason IspellFind out more about Tommy Emmanuel here: https://tommyemmanuel.com and on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL-0gAth4u6Wp-9_98XU3nASend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODWhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastYoutube: @tennishampshirepodcast

Send us Fan MailThings are heating up around Hampshire’s leagues, and this week we take a closer look at some of the biggest battles in the Apsley League. Riverside have the chance to get back to top spot in the Premier Division after doing the hard work against Bassett last weekend. This time out they face newly promoted Kingsgate A - will they spoil their party?Stanmore C play back-to-back fixtures this weekend in a bid to clear their backlog. Will the end the weekend bottom of Division Two, or surge up the division? All to play for there.Meanwhile we check in with Mat Johnstone, who is climbing the world rankings in Para Standing Tennis, but he still sees a lot he’d like to do better as he pursues new heights. Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODWhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289

Send us Fan MailLots of news from around the shire this week - sign ups have started for the County Champs (coming your way in the last week of August), preparations have begun for the Winter League, and Hampshire have dominated their groups in County Week. Speaking of that last headline, Mats Colling from Thornden joins the show to talk about his participation in this prestigious event, what the Hampshire players do all week while on the road for the event, and how Buckinghamshire moved quickly to bring in reinforcements after a tough start in the box. We round out our coverage of how the National League closed the summer with a run though the third tier of National League - the three divisions of Hampshire & IOW National teams. Want does Tom want? Consolidation. When does he want it? Now. Will anyone ever respond to his emails? Let’s hope so…Finally, the Apsley is back up and running at full steam this weekend, with 14 fixtures planned. Let’s go!Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODWhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastYoutube: @tennishampshirepodcast

Send us Fan MailThe Apsley League gets back up and running this weekend, and we have the man who is single-handedly getting the ball rolling again on the show this week. Luckily he made it back from Croatia, which was a close call.Before all that though we have news from the National League and the National Regional League, where the action is done for this summer and the results are in. Winchester have taken top spots again at the highest levels of club tennis in the country, but there is good news as well for Warsash, Thornden and Riverside, as their elite players brought home some very positive results. Speaking of which, Riverside and Thornden picked up some very odd looking wins against Warsash to deny their women’s team an historic win in the National Regional South West East league, if anyone can explain how Warsash lost those fixtures we’d really like to know - drop us a voicemail or an email? 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:[email protected]/THPODWhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastYoutube: @tennishampshirepodcast

Send us Fan MailSound 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:[email protected]/THPODWhatsApp: +44 (0) 74 7039 5289Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastYoutube: @tennishampshirepodcast

Send us Fan MailThe 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:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWeek 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:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailIt’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:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailMilford 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:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailSummer has only just started but one of the biggest showdowns hits in the Apsley League’s Premier Division, as Warsash head to Thornden to find out if THIS is the year that they take back the biggest prize in county inter-club tennis. Robin Ellison has reinvented himself since our Solent Cup episodes, and returns to the show as a tent pole of the podcast's growing coverage. Portsmouth & District has also been busily reinventing itself for the summer - with at least one new club, a number of new teams, and redistricted divisions, especially in the mixed doubles leagues - Portsmouth’s closest format to the Southampton LTA’s Apsley League. We debate the merits of committee discretion about where to put new teams - Portsmouth has avoided a Group of Death scenario this summer, but does that bring any costs for the clubs that get passed over when teams are placed above them?Robin shares his predictions for who will win each of the four mixed divisions. We look forward to checking back in on those with Robin as the summer progresses. 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:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailOnly five weeks into the season, a summer-defining moment has arrived for two teams in the Apsley League’s Group of Death.Newbies Wellow B take on surprise package David Lloyd West End B, and this fixture gets the questions flying. Who will show up for David Lloyd? Is this the time to regulate squad selections? And what would Tom do if he was Captain Alexandra Dukes? Tom spent quite a bit of time in his mind palace on that one, we had to edit it down for time.We review last week’s Twyford match against Stanmore, where the Ernsberger clan met the Guerreri clan again on the field of battle. And we chat a bit about your reactions to our National League coverage last week. Tom pretends he knew Farnham Common wasn’t in Farnham, but as your show notes editor I will tell you now I’m not convinced.We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcastSend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailThis week we take a closer look at the National Tennis League, thanks to listener feedback from Riverside that we’ve been missing a trick there. Tom has been getting quite expert on how the higher levels of tennis work in NCL, and he shares his insights on the national, regional and county levels of the NCL. Warsash and Thornden are clashing in the Hampshire NCL county level, just as they are in a bit of a show down in the Apsley Premier Division. But of the clubs we follow regularly, it turns out that Salisbury and Winchester have the highest placed teams in the NCL.Elsewhere we get a complete run down of Week Three in the Apsley League, and look forward to this weekend’s only Apsley fixture - a visit to Twyford for Stanmore D in Division Four. We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcastSend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailThe Apsley fixtures are flowing now! Guest host and Twyford B team captain Rob Ernsberger helps Dave dissect the best of the weekend action to come across all five divisions. Along the way Rob shares his goals for Twyford B this season, and the three teams in Division Two that he fears the most this summer. Before that, we discuss listener feedback from another Apsley captain, Alex Dukes from David Lloyd West End B, and we debate if playing ringers is really worth it, and if it is theoretically possible to play a ringer in an A team. We also check in with Mat Johnstone to see how his quest to break into the world Top Ten in Para Standing Tennis is coming along. Spoilers, he’s doing quite well!We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcastSend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWeek Two of the Apsley League brought the first weekend of fixtures with all five divisions involved for the first time this summer.So far Dave and Tom’s top picks for the summer are all off to winning starts - with some very big wins for some of them. Two 8-0 shellackings in Premier show us that it will very likely be a season of “haves” and “have nots” at the elite level of play in the Southampton LTA. Dave calls out a few ringers b being played in Division Four, only to (naturally) end up on court opposite one of them within hours of recording the show. Turns out he’s doing it for the very best of reasons.We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcastSend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailSummer is here. At last!We know because the Apsley tennis season is now underway. A well-endowed Division Four has already started playing its fixtures. With a ponderous ten teams - including three new entrants and two teams relegated from last summer’s Division Three, Div Four is shaping up as Hampshire tennis’ Group of Death. As Dave’s natural hunting ground, it looks like there are a few tough shifts ahead. Meanwhile, we preview all the action from the Premier Division onwards.Beyond Apsley, Dave took on “Pistol” Pete Guerreri in the Hampshire & Isle of Wight singles league, and much discussion on how to handle rampant foot faulting ensures from there. Hear more from Guerreri from Episode 2.20, where he joined us to discuss tennis mercenaries. We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcastSend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWe close our winter coverage with a courtside interview with Michael Isaacs, the chair of the Portsmouth & District LTA.Michael has led a rejuvenation of inter-club tennis in the Portsmouth area for more than 15 years, helping re-establisb a league that is now fully competitive with every district in Hampshire. We talk about Michael’s journey to become chair, why it is that league leaders are so busy, and what exactly it means to support “normal tennis players”.Michale also shares some of the origins of the Solent Cup, and hints at what might be done to spark more membership at clubs among under-40s.We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcastSend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailThe battle for the 2026 Solent Cup left honours split between Southampton and Portsmouth. Gate-crashers Riverside and winter-warriors Warsash took home the top winter prize in south coast inter-club tennis. Dave Ernsberger & Robin Ellison were on site for six hours of top class tennis. Even furious wind and a biting chill couldn’t stop some top tennis being played. In this episode we review the day itself, with a closer look at the teams that showed up and a deeper dive into how the spoils were shared.We hear from the captains of mens champions Riverside at the end of the show.   Also in this episode - closing the books on the Southampton LTA’s winter season. 13 clubs took divisional titles this winter, after virtually all of the fixture backlog managed to clear over three frantic weeks of tennis. Just one division left fixtures unplayed - Mens Division Five.And resolving once and for all exactly how far away Salisbury is from Thornden Tennis Club. We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcastSend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWinter is SO over! That leaves us with just one question to be answered for the season: are the very best teams on the South Coast from the Southampton LTA or the Portsmouth & District LTA?Dave Ernsberger & Robin Ellison preview Winchester v Warsash and Court X v Salisbury, as the titans of Hampshire winter tennis get ready to meet at Thornden on April 11th.We also discuss our plans to cover the event live from Thornden, and we hope to see you there!We’re now on YouTube: Find future and archive show clips on YouTure using the handle @tennishampshirepodcastSend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWe're back with another Quick Hit, this time looking at the five fixtures that will shape the Southampton LTA's winter leagues. Some of the men's divisions (we're looking at you, five and six!) are in a bit of a shambolic state, so instead we focus on the divisions that got their acts together, and where relegations, promotions and championships will be decided on the next two weekends. In county news, it's a bit of good news/bad news for padel fans out there, especially if you like to play at Winchester. We look at some of the of pre-summer championships around the county.Learn more about the HIOW East Championships here: https://competitions.lta.org.uk/tournament/3471A94B-4773-457E-ABFD-3746B6502225Sign up for Milford on Sea's Seniors Championships here: https://competitions.lta.org.uk/tournament/6A561F66-E6DF-40D3-B453-D7A9508CC129Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWelcome to Episode 2.40, where we revisit the Portsmouth & District LTA — with a proper guide this time!Robin Ellison cut his teeth with Southsea and moved on to take on captaining roles with Court X. Along the way, he started a weekly news report on tennis in Portsmouth & District, which makes him an ideal addition to the show. Who are the big dogs in Portsmouth tennis? How do people sort out when to go to the Isle of Wight and when to call it a day on the weather? Learn the answers to these questions and more. Plus Robin takes us through Portsmouth’s enviable teas culture and boisterous awards nights. Before all of that, we also hear from Mat Johnstone, who kicked off his defence of his number one spot in GB Para Standing Tennis with a convincing win in Sweden. Yep, we sponsor Mat now, so we look forward to regular updates from the world of PST3 tennis and Mat’s pursuit of a top 10 global ranking this year. He can do this, we believe.Follow Robin’s reporting here: https://www.portsmouthlta.info/pressarticlesRead up on the Malmo Open here: https://www.malmo-open.comSend us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailIt's a Quick Hit with Dave this week as we look at the results from the past two weeks across the Southampton LTA's Mixed Doubles, Ladies Doubles and Men's Doubles divisions. First though we check in on some Hampshire tennis news. The Apsley League dates are beginning to appear online, which means all you captains out there need to start dusting off your tennis rolodexes and getting your teams ready to roll. Podcast favourites Magda Kornijczuk (Episode 2.30) and Toby Samuel have started their 2026 campaigns, and we check in with how they are getting along. There were 45 fixtures scheduled over the past two weeks, and 29 of them were successfully concluded, despite the usual tricky weather. We look at what that did to the tables. And in the end, we hear doom Lloyd Smith how Waterside bested a plucky Twyford side. 

Send us Fan MailKingsgate and Wellow are clubs on the march across the winter and summer leagues, and it turns out that they are both on the cusp of promotion to Hampshire’s elite first division in the Southampton LTA’s Winter Ladies Doubles league. They are two of only four teams that still have perfect winning records as we head into the business end of the winter, but that can’t last for long - unstoppable force meets immovable object in February. Elsewhere, Riverside top the first division for now, with Thornden close behind. Dave’s Basset and Tom’s Winchester have work to do to help them in their predictions league showdown. Before all that, we celebrate the return of tennis to the telly with the Australian Open, discuss news Naomi Osaka, and Dave tells Tom what Gen X’ers thought about Millenials when they erupted onto the scene way back when. Well, he asked! And he’s got some punchy views of his own on Gen Z!Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailRiverside and Thornden are slugging it out in the Winter Mens Doubles leagues, taking half of all the top spots across the Southampton LTA’s seven divisions. Riverside hold the edge on ultimate honours right now, but how will things end? It’s still too close to call. Before we get to that, Tom offers his defence for rough & smooth racquet calls, and we cover the latest news from Hampshire’s clubs and players. Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailThis week on the show we take a look at how the Southampton LTA's Winter Mixed Doubles leagues are stacking up as players get ready to restart all the action after the Christmas & New Year break. Rob Ernsberger, captain of Twyford Mixed, joins us to talk about life in Division Two for the team that has secured back-to-back-to-back promotions. But first, Rob & Dave competed in their first ever match with LTA Umpires. We talk about what that was like, and our main takeaways from that experience. Learn from our do’s and don’ts, hopefully BEFORE you get on court with an umpire!Send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailThis week we welcome to the show Mat Johnstone, Hampshire tennis native and the UK’s Number One PST3 Para-Standing Tennis player.Mat shares his journey from an up-and-coming tennis junior at Warsash to top Para-Standing Tennis player with an eye on the World Top Ten rankings for 2026. Mat shares his early experiences in tennis, the life-changing impact of meningitis at 17, and his subsequent rehabilitation. We talk with Mat about his transition from wheelchair tennis to para-standing tennis, the challenges he faced, and his aspirations for the future. Mat’s life story highlights the importance of resilience, adaptability, and a lot of what's great about the Hampshire tennis community. Mat also describes the nuances of walking and parastanding tennis, including the similarities and differences in rules and performance. We also talk a bit of Sabalenka and Kyrgios!Mat is on Instagram, where you can find him using the handle @matjohnstone23. You can find out more about Mat, including how to sponsor his pursuit of global top ten, here: https://sponsorseeker.co.uk/listing/mat-johnstone-para-standing-tennis/You can follow the global Para Standing Tennis sport here:https://www.parastandingtennis.comThe LTA’s initiatives in Para Standing Tennis is described here: https://www.lta.org.uk/play/inclusion-disability/para-standing-tennis/And you can send us your thoughts for (or about!) the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWelcome to the show Richard Cutler, Charity Director and Councillor at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Tennis, the county authority for tennis that brings rhyme and reason to the way tennis functions across the county. Have we had a better opportunity so far to better understand how tennis works in Hampshire than this interview? I don’t think so!Richard was well prepared for this one - lots of engaging discussion and plenty of facts and figures. Ever wondered how many tennis players there are in Hampshire? How Hampshire stacks up nationally? How the county is doing on its RAG deliverables, and which district LTA is the best of them all? Richard has answers for all those questions, and shares his views on all of them except the last one… he has relationships to maintain of course!We also explore Richard’s work with the LTA at the national level - the mothership on which Richard has been a board member for the past few years. In fact he’s alongside LTA President Sandi Proctor in the cover art for this episode. Both Richard and Sandi are completing their time with the LTA Board at the end of 2025.Towards the end of the show we get into some Padel-chat (that starts at around 47 minutes) and Richard’s ambitions for Totton & Eling Tennis Center, where is is the Managing Director (that starts at around 62 minutes).You can find Hampshire & IOW Tennis at: https://hampshireiow.tennis and on Instagram at @hampshireiowtennis. Keep an eye out for their Showcase event and awards ceremony, due to be held on April 18, 2026. Send us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWe’re back from travels just in time to do our final Southampton LTA winter leagues check in before the end of the year. This time we take a look through ladies doubles where 33 teams representing 21 clubs are midway through the season across five divisions.There are a few surprises up and down the divisions, with the biggest of them all being the relative performance of last year’s dominant Bassett and the resurgence of Thornden in Division One. But is it sustainable?Send us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWe recreate the magic (or the tedium, if you’re of that persuasion) of the big end of year league AGMs, not least for Tom’s benefit since family duty called him away. Would things have ended differently if he'd been there? Before the AGM reviews, we discuss the emergence of a Hampshire tennis player in the professional world tour - will 2026 be the year that Ringwood’s Toby Samuel cracks the code on the tour? We’ll be watching. And the men’s winter doubles leagues are far enough along that we get a sense for who this winter’s winners should be, who’s having a tough time, and who really are the Absolute Men in Division Six. Find the Bournemouth Echo story about Toby Samuel here: https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/25672639.hampshire-tennis-player-secures-career-high-atp-ranking/Send us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWe’re back in Hampshire this week, where Annual General Meetings are in full swing at clubs around the county. We’re excited for the Southampton LTA and Apsley AGMs set for December 3rd. Will anyone run against the incumbents for leadership positions? And what happened to Tom’s committee position, which he was voted into last year? He’s not a happy chappy. Before that, there’s a bit of news from around the county, including a green light for building Winchester’s Acoustic Wall. Surely a candidate for Jamie Noyce’s next band (he plays the songs that open and close the show).And we go deep on the SL:TA Mixed Doubles winter league to see how things are shaping up a third of the way through winter. Send us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailJoin us on the podcast's first ever Road Trip, which takes us to Indiana, deep in the US Midwest, where we find young Hampshire tennis star Magda Kornijczuk at the very beginning of a two-year tennis journey at the University of Indianapolis. Magda shares her journey from the UK to the US, some of the cultural differences, the intensity of college tennis, and the supportive environment of her team. She reflects on her training, competitions, and the importance of mindset in sports. Magda also offers advice for aspiring players considering college tennis in the US and shares her experiences with team dynamics and rivalries.You can follow Magda’s tennis journey on Instagram using the handle @magdakornijczukYou can follow the Indy Greyhounds on Instagram with @uindytennisGo deep on the team and the university at https://athletics.uindy.edu/sports/womens-tennisSend us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailThis week on the pod we catch up with Twyford’s Dick Moulds - groundsman, trustee, diplomat, gentle club godfather and sports omnivore. A member for 50 years, Dick is the man behind the scenes for most of what you may know already about Twyford tennis club, and a fountain of wisdom on club lore. Did Matt Le Tissier really play for the club? Are there strategically placed divots in the grass? And how do two bona fide grass courts survive hidden away in one of the most exclusive property belts in the Hampshire area?Your questions (and ours!) answered about one of the most historic clubs in the county - the little club with the big heart that is Twyford Bowls & Lawn Tennis Club. Send us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailJoin us for our 50th episode, with a HUGE thanks to all of you who have supported the show over the past 18 months. Whether you've been a regular listener, an occasional visitor, a correspondent or a guest, your support is the fire in the belly of the show.In this episode we look back on 50 episodes and think about how to grow the show from here, wonder if our recording sessions at the Utilita Bowl might be raising eye brows, discuss club news from Winchester and, of course, take a metaphorical trip to Portsmouth to check out their district LTA. Send us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast 

Send us Fan MailWinter is here! And it's the best part of winter... the very beginning. Everything is still possible, and it isn't even that cold, that dark or even that rainy. Remember this feeling when December arrives.We talk festive calendar dates (the tennis kind - get ready to mark your calendars for AGMs and the Solent Cup). We also examine the start-of-winter split in the David Lloyd tennis community, a county-interest topic given that every club has at least one David Lloyd player in its ranks, even if they pretend otherwise.We also discuss the Southampton LTA's Winter Leagues, including Dave and Tom's predictions for the ultimate winners of each and every division. Did we get it right? Let us know. Also, time will tell...Send us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailWe ran out of time on summer wrap up last time out, so this week we take the deep dive on how ladies and mens doubles closed out the summer. We review Warsash's remarkable run to win mens doubles overall. Is this the springboard they need to have another go at the Apsley next summer? Where are they in the winter leagues?Tom's troops from David Lloyd WestEnd also had a go in the mens doubles, we look at where they ended up. Over in ladies doubles, Thornden and Winchester battled it out for top honors. We also discuss how Victoria Park - Wiltshire's third club - are quietly storming the leagues.Send us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailDivision One ended in style, so we take a final canter through the Apsley League to celebrate the winners, and commiserate with the losers. No fewer than three teams managed to trip the Apsley League's new points deduction rule, giving up two points each for every fixture that they conceded as a walkover. All three went down in the end, and it didn’t have to be that way. Have clubs learned a lesson? We’ll see next summer, but the new rule was certainly effective.We look back on our expectations from the start of the summer, and see who won the predictions league between Dave and Tom. The Hampshire Singles boxes also closed for the summer, bringing us a new Champion of Champions in Group One, and nine champs in total across the groups. We mull over whether the time has come to cut non-players once and for all. Swing that scythe, league admin! And we are campaigning for players to join up, as well. Thanks to all of you who did - we saw a ton of new players pop up in the boxes when they were unveiled on Saturday, including lots of listeners and previous show guests. Learn more about the HIOW singles boxes here:https://competitions.lta.org.uk/box-ladder/5799c945-d321-4a8d-af94-98821eb2d3ef/event/1/round/8Share your summer stories and winter aspirations with us! Send us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPODFollow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

Send us Fan MailThe sun is dropping that bit earlier, players are dropping out of the pro tour to rest and there are just four fixtures left in the Apsley League - summer is well and truly coming to an end around us. With the final weekend ahead, we look at the biggest prize left on offer - Division One survival. All four teams at the bottom of Div One are in action this weekend. Which two teams will survive out of Riverside B, David Lloyd Southampton B and Thornden B? One of them will be toast by Sunday. Well, in Div Two anyways. We salute Riverside, who played both their remaining Premier Division fixtures to finish as high up the Premier Division as possible with maximum points from a busy weekend of road tripping. Elsewhere, the current round of the Hampshire singles boxes also come to a close this weekend, and Tom’s been padelling again. Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastSend us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPOD

Send us Fan MailThornden have won the Premier Division for a third successive summer, but Riverside took them all the way in their fixture - so nearly getting the win, and forcing a tie. Wellow are on the up, we debate whether their new courts - subject to local press interest this week — will be enough to help them stay in the Premier Division next season, now that they are locked in for promotion out of Division One. Twyford A went down in the end, but at least the C Team (featuring Dave!) had a good day out against Winchester C. Tom may have to recalibrate the age brackets in Div Four, however. Relegation scrambles continue in Divisions One, Two and Three, so there’s still plenty to play for  here in Spillover Season. Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastSend us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPOD

Send us Fan MailSaturday September 13 was originally scheduled to be the end of the summer season when Apsley schedules came out all the way back in April. As it happens, this summer’s rollercoaster of heatwaves and washouts means we will still have a dozen fixtures left after Saturday is done, but plenty of things will be decided this weekend. Tom doesn’t see any way Thornden can’t realistically wrap up the Premier Division, but the Inception-level scenarios around Premier relegation mean things could extend into the post season there.  Winchester A played the best team that any division has seen this season, the biggest of the big guns. Was it enough to stay up? Meanwhile Division Three gets an official winner, a week after e declared the winner. Were we right? Find out this episode. Elsewhere, we’re getting ready for winter. Old man Dave made sure his boiler got checked, and whipper snapper Tom managed to finish his Winter League meeting in 40 minutes. Where’s the fun in that? Thanks to the listeners who sent Dave videos of the Winter meeting so he could feel like he was there all the way from Singapore. That’s a lot more than Tom, or indeed Dsve's brother Rob, did….Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastSend us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPOD

Send us Fan MailWe’re getting to the business end of the season, which is a terrible time for Dave to be stranded in America and Tom to be busy in Southampton. We can’t unite for a dual podcast this week, but we’ve got a Quick Hit update here to get you up to speed. The County Champs are over - it looks like a changing of the guard among some of the elite men could be on the cards, while on the women’s side of things it’s good to see last year’s runner-up go one better this time.In the Apsley League, two more divisions have been wrapped up, leaving just the Premier Division and Div Two in contention for gold medals heading into the final few weeks. There are still plenty of promotion and relegation battles to keep us going!Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastSend us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPOD

Send us Fan MailWe're reunited in the UK and joined by another special guest! Pete Guerreri, from tennis royalty in Swanmore and currently captain of the National League team from David Lloyd West End, joins this episode.There's certainly plenty to talk about. Pete and Tom shares some memories from their debuts at the Hampshire & Isle of Wight County Championships, which wrap up this weekend. They give their own experiences some pretty high ratings. But... we can all strive for better, and they've got some thoughts for Winchester and the event organisers for future events. Shockwaves up and down the leagues late in the season have people wondering about paying players in county tennis. There seem to be a few mercenaries out there - racquets for hire - who might be giving some clubs a leg up. Is that bad, or just how sports goes these days? And maybe there are legit reasons to offer compensation to some players, some times. We hear from the league, the pod and we want your views too. Find Pete at: www.youtube.com/@peterguerreri7143Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastSend us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPOD

Send us Fan MailThis week we look back on a high-octane weekend of action that made Thornden champions-elect, brought Winchester A its first win for almost three seasons, and shows us that South Hants B could sweep in on Division Three out of nowhere.The County Championships start this weekend. Tom is taking part, and we get his thoughts on signing up, the onerous availability requirements (turns out it's not so bad actually!) and how deep he hopes to go. In the weekend ahead we have some pretty chilled out fixtures to look forward to and a Bank Holiday Monday to boot. The weather forecasts says low 20's and sunny all weekend. These are happy days in Hampshire tennis. We'll miss all this come the winter. But why spend any time thinking about that now?

Send us Fan MailClub summer seasons will be made and broken this weekend in the Apsley League, so how could we possibly leave you hanging without an episode?Dave is in Greece and Tom is working hard on the day job but we found a way to make this episode against all the odds. We talk about where the tables stand now that the season is 75% complete — and who has promotion or relegation on the line this weekend. Before all that we congratulate the Hampshire warriors who played at the Masters in Wimbledon this week. One of our very own is a champion, and kudos is due!We also celebrate the return of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight County Championships. Who’s back to defend their 2024 titles? Which of the pod members signed up for this year’s Men’s singles championship? And is there really a Southampton Filipino Tennis Club?? Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastSend us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPOD

Send us Fan MailMike and Jay Barry join as our sixth and seventh guests on the podcast. We talk about the origins of Riverside Tennis Club, who they consider their biggest rivals, and what the future holds for the club.On a more personal note, we reflect on sibling rivalry, their pathways into coaching, and their advice for young Riverside players who want to push on into semi-pro tennis.Stick around for the Barry Brothers’ Dream Club Challenge at the end! Who created the best Dream Club… Tom or Dave?  Find Mike and Jay at https://www.riverside-ltc.org/projectThe brothers’ other recommended podcasts: Great Base Tennis: https://greatbasetennis.com/podcast/Nothing Major Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nothing-major/id1756744318Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastSend us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPOD

Send us Fan MailThe summer is flying by, and this weekend could bring the first crown in the Apsley as Compton look to see off resurgent Winchester in Division Four. Elsewhere, Riverside play Destroyers of Dreams as David Lloyd Southampton make the pilgrimage to Wiltshire. Can they equal or better Twyford's 1-7 loss last week? Premier Division survival could depend on it. We had a lot of great feedback o our Ladies Doubles episode, including a voce message from David Lloyd. Listen in as we get gently roasted, British style, by their captain. Dave loves that stuff, Tom is a bit mortified. We also talk Wimbledon ballots. Don't forget to submit your ballots now via LTA Advantage. If you listen to this podcast and you're based in the UK, you almost certainly have an LTA Advantage account. Get on the ballot now!Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastSend us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPOD

Send us Fan MailThree out of five Summer Ladies Doubles divisions have been won, but the very highest honours are still being disputed by Bassett and Thornden. Could Winchester sneak through and take the top prize? We discuss from around the 18 minutes mark.And there's nothing more dangerous than Tom with a spreadsheet... we find shenanigans in Division Four. Though we're sure no one did anything in purpose. Will the league notice? Where's that Michael Jackson popcorn gif??Elsewhere, Dave gets a win in the Hampshire singles league, Tom hasn't started. We look at Apsley results from last week, including a surprise win for Warsash, and what the fixtures this weekend could bring. Follow us at:Instagram @thampshirepodTikTok: hampshiretennispodFacebook: The Tennis Hampshire PodcastSend us your thoughts for the show:[email protected]/THPOD