The Tennis Hampshire Podcast

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This 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 lif...

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Welcome 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? Ho...

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We’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?

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We 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...

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We’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...

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Join 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 t...

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This 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...

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Join 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...

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Winter 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.

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We 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, Th...

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Division 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 ou...

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The 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 w...

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Thornden 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...

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Saturday 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...

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We’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...

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We'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 ev...

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This 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 l...

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Club 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 Wim...

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Mike 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?  

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The 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 ca...

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Three 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...

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After last week’s grim statistics showing age spreads across the Hampshire inter-club leagues, Venus Williams gives Dave some inspiration this week. Tom has been in deep correspondence with Apsley League chief Geoff Prince on how the league positions work. If things are looking a little wonky to you too, there’s a good reason for it!

Meanwhile, who needs league tables when there are winners and losers to recognise - stats, metaphysics and philosophy are our friends here. We pick five and a half winners and wonder what’s up with t...

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Mens Doubles is the most popular Hampshire & Isle of Wight doubles event over the summer, so take a deep breath with us as we run through all nine divisions to see how things are shaping up now the end of the season is in flight. 

Two of those divisions have already been won — congrats to Riverside and David Lloyd West End on getting some early titles in. 

The men's doubles review starts at 27:21.

Meanwhile, last weekend’s heatwave turned the tables upside down for Apsley League planning — nine of...

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A major heatwave is grabbing the southern UK during peak tennis season for the first time in two years, so new rules created back in 2023 will be put to the test this weekend. 

In this episode we discuss the moral quandary around postponing a match in 29 degree weather (feels like 31!), and whether or not there will be any funny business going on after fixtures start, should one side fall behind quickly in any of the Apsley's 13 fixtures this weekend. 

It's inevitable, isn't it? Falling behind quickly in some fixtures, we...

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We take a step eastwards in Episode 2.11, exploring how the East Hants league works for clubs that lie out towards the border with West Sussex. The East Hants chat starts on the 20 minute mark.

We find a smaller but more perfectly structured set of events out there, but no website to help us make sense of it all. Does East Hants have a website? Please let us know if there is one. 

Analysing the data that’s available, we look at the overlaps with Southampton LTA, discuss which clubs tha...

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We dropped an epic episode last week (thanks for all the feedback!), so it’s just a Quick Hit with Dave this week.

It took nine weeks, but Thornden are back at the top of the Premier Division. Will anyone knock them off their usual perch from here on out? Wellow also made big gains in the league, but we're keen to see if they can build on that this weekend.

Meanwhile the latest round of the county singles boxes have ended, and we tip our cap to the Sp...

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Dave's on the road and no one's heard from Tom since he went to that stag do in Poland a week ago. But never fear, Edwin Lau is back! 

And just as well, since we have a bumper round of Apsley fixtures to talk about. Bassett's winning streak came to an end at the top of the Premier Division, Division Two bought us a real slugfest, and it seems we've all been sleeping on Willow. Who knew?

In our special topic this week, we dig deeper into cheating in t...

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There are only three Saturdays in the summer when 28 teams go out and do battle over 14 fixtures, and this weekend is one of those Peak Apsley moments. Bassett face a proper test in the Premier Division against Riverside, who have their own Super Day to worry about at the same time. 

Division One will be fully in action, with just one of the nine teams left to sit things out. Division Two has the pick of the non-Premier action with some very spicy matches lined up. 

Meanwhile, Dave can’t do...

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This week we take a closer look at Ladies Doubles in Hampshire, and see who's battling it out for top spots across the county's five divisions. That discussion starts at 27 minutes in.

The contest to find the best women across the county also has a big impact on the Apsley League, and we take a look back at Week Five's results, plus check in on the tables. 

Two clubs had Super Days last weekend, and we celebrate Winchester - who have done the best so far out of any c...

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Paranoia strikes this week, as Dave spots something suspicious in the Hampshire Tennis Awards, and Tom dissects A versus B team selection theory. 

Are shenanigans afoot, or are we just seeing ghosts in the shadows? It’s all just tennis, right?

Meanwhile, we've got one of the county's blockbuster weekends ahead. 26 teams will be on court in the Apsley, and there are two club Super Days. 

We look at 13 fixtures that will change the tables. 

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After a busy start, the Apsley League is in a bit of a lull. So after covering Twyford's Super Day and looking ahead to this weekend's four fixtures, we take a look at Men's Doubles. 

There are nine divisions, 48 teams and more than 200 players in the men's doubles competition. But the real question is... can Tom do well enough with David Lloyd West End to join Dave's mighty Littleton warriors in Division Four? 

In Padel-land, Winchester Racquets & Fitness won't take the noise complaints lying down, and this week outlined to...

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Six ambitious clubs field three or more teams in the Summer Apsley League. 

At least once a season the league organizers oblige each of those clubs to field al of their teams at once -- a phenomenon we call Super Day. 

This week we look ahead to Twyford's Super Day, which hits on May 17, and look back on Swanmore's Super Day last weekend. 

After that, there are four more to come - how can clubs survive, and even thrive, on these tests of planning and execution?

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We've got one week in the bank for the season, and we've learned a lot about how things are shaping up in the Apsley league - Hampshire's best tennis tournament. 

Tom and Dave dissect the action from up and down the divisions, and take stock of what it all means for the May 10-11 weekend, where 28 teams go into battle. 

The sun is shining and we take this pod outside (pardon the occasional police sirens and enjoy Hampshire's intermittent birdsong). In news outside the tennis tourneys, 

Dave rev...

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This week we interview Mark Jackson, racquets manager at David Lloyd Southampton West End. 

Mark picked up tennis at a young age up in Lincolnshire, but it wasn’t necessarily the sport he’d had in mind as a starry eyed kid. 

His path to managing racquets at one of the biggest clubs in Hampshire came via a year looking at a possible life in pro tennis, and a coaching career that made him one of only a few Level Five coaches in the area. 

We cover the pan...

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We’re back! Commissioned for a second season, we start with a little look-back at Season One before jumping right into the Solent Cup. 

Will Portsmouth recover from its 8-0 mauling by Southampton’s finest? And if the league organisers want more attendance for this big county event, why id there no advertising? Maybe we can help with that. 

Meanwhile, Tom has discovered the HIOW Singles League, and he was ushered in right away through the front door. But is it a club that Dave can get in to?

A...

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Champions have been crowned in 11 of the 18 Winter Divisions in the Southampton LTA. We weren't among them this time, but we're happy enough with how our winter went, how about you?

It's a big weekend for the remaining seven divisions. By next week we should know how the rest of the divisions squared away, which leaves us with a few weeks to get ready for... THE SUMMER!

Speaking of which, we got some listener feedback ahead of sunny season - you too can get in touch through hello@thpod...

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All Brits love a quiz, so we put Tom’s local knowledge to the test with our Hampshire Club Explorer Quiz, His response is… pavlovian!

In other testosterone-driven news, it’s time to check in with the Men’s Winter leagues, where Dave is pleased and relieved to report that he is back in the top half of the individual performance table.

Welcome to Episode 21 of the Tennis Hampshire Podcast!

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The Apsley fixtures are out, which means it's time to start marking your calendars for another great summer of tennis ahead in Hampshire. 

We check in with the Winter Ladies Doubles leagues, and Tom finds a thrilling conclusion underway in the top division. Just about any club can win it... except for the one club that is currently at the top!

We've created the Hampshire Tennis Club Explorer. Ever wonder how far away your next match will be, which clubs are most active in the county, or even which c...

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Winchester Raquets didn't love our debate last time around about their patchy league efforts in Episode 18, but that was nothing compared to the national media debate this week that would come to surround the future of padel at the "posh tennis club"  in Bereweeke (blame the Daily Mail for that one, lol). 

Cue lots of pictures of disgruntled neighbours in the papers, and at least one threat to take it all to the Supreme Court. Gosh, this might be the most excitement Winchester has had since the infamous Christmas lights debacle of...

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Moves at Winchester kicked off a busy January transfer window in Hampshire's tennis coaching market. We explore whether a blockbuster move between JEM and Swanmore could shake up the league come the summer. 

It's also time to check in on the Winter Men to see how they're getting along. The fixtures have passed the half-way mark. Did Absolute Men drop the mic for Christmas? Which team has yet to even play a fixture? 

Meanwhile, Tom & Dave are having a rough ride in their divisions, but it's all good for th...

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After a break so Tom could hunt for club glory and we could both spend some time with the family, we're back! 

Did you miss us? Our bad maths and tennis resolutions will soon put that to rest, after which we take a deeper look at the very competitive Ladies Winter Doubles Leagues. 

Welcome to the Tennis Hampshire Podcast as we start the New Year with the very best of intentions. Let's see how long it lasts... 

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Tennis AGM season! Tom and Dave bring you the latest from the Southampton LTA and Apsley AGM meetings.

The top brass was voted in once again for another year, but with the committees filling up at last there are signs of new life in the corridors of power. One of the podcast just became one of the youngest committee members ever. Congratulations, young Jedi. 

Meanwhile, there are insights galore about how 2025 will shape up for tennis in Hampshire. Beyond general news...

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We're joined this week for a Courtside Chat with George Thomas from Romsey-based Tennis HQ (www.tennishq.co.uk). 

Did you know you don't have to trek all the way to Farnham to get your hands on higher-end tennis gear so you can try before you buy? Neither did I. George takes us through the kinds of issues to consider before you spring for a new racquet, strings, tennis balls and more. 

We also explore his playing career in tennis, coaching at different clubs and his pioneering work to se...

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Gemma Hargrave joins the show this week from David Lloyd West End. We take a little walk through hot topics like club-hopping before getting into the heart of what it means to captain teams at a mega-club like David Lloyd. Can you bring the small club feels to big club environments? We find out more. 

Gemma shares her vision for getting young players through those tricky late teenage years, and shares her thoughts on why participation in inter-club competitions is different for men and women. 

Before all that we sp...

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Tom and Dave man up in this episode and get stuck into seven divisions of Winter Men's Doubles Tennis, the fastest-growing tennis format in the county.

One in five fixtures have been played already, so we have a sense for how things are going. But not everyone will have the stamina to hold onto top spots until the end of the season. 

Do Absolute Men have the coolest team name in tennis? Why do they play all their pictures before Christmas? Why does Tom wait until midnight to go t...

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We took a few weeks off to get the summer done once and for all, and spiff up the website. 

Check out the new inforgraphics on THPod.UK! It's just the start of how we think about visualising tennis data in ever more compelling ways. And please send us your feedback, it helps make the content better and all your ideas have been excellent so far. 

Meanwhile... we take a run through how the summer ended, including a pretty ugly end to affairs in Division One, where a new ch...

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September 22 is the final day of summer, according to the astronomical calendar and, indeed, the Apsley fixture list! Dave reckons Tom has had a Brat Summer without realising it, but Tom won't be drawn into that one. Very wise.

We talk about who had Apsley seasons to remember, and what going up to the Premier would mean for giant-killing Twyford A and the players there. 

There are five fixtures this weekend, and we look at what's left in the races for promotion and relegation battles. 

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Champions are being crowned in the County Cups and in everyone's favourite club competition, the Apsley League. We look at who the big winners are as the summer leagues start to wind down. 

Meanwhile Tom and I rolled up for separate clubs (awkward?) at the Winter League Meeting in Southampton and had very different experiences. As the veteran of the two, Dave shares what YOU need to know about Winter League meetings, and his Top Five moments from any Winter League meeting. 

There's still work to be done to cl...

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The County Cup burst into life over the last Bank Holiday weekend, and some players have gone deep in the competition just when their clubs might need them for the end-game in Apsley. 

What will the players choose... cup glory or take one for the team? We know what Tom would do!

We take a little look at who the favourites are for this coming weekend's County finals at Winchester. Meanwhile champions could be crowned by Saturday night in at least two Apsley divisions. 

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This week we look forward to a weekend with five fixtures, but one of them is already done -- sending us into a bit of a statistical melt down in the forward look. 

Dave is wondering if it's time to start a Senior team, bit will it be chill or a date with a future of fiery fixtures? Also... can we get those midweek fixtures in? We learn more about the Senior Doubles tennis tournaments.

Meanwhile, everyone's favourite Hampshire tennis tourney is near its denoument - time for another T...

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Another week of Hampshire tennis is in the books, and divisional leaders up and down the Apsley League are peering nervously into the depths to see what could be coming for them.

Thornden dish out a merciless win in the Premier to move up the table, while South Hants A are quietly circling the top three in Division Two with intent after another statement win.

We look back at a full weekend of action, and forward to August 17-18 in this quick hit update to keep you all up...

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This week we welcome Edwin Lau, who recently landed in Hampshire after a glittering career in Berkshire tennis. We talk county comparables, whether or not there's anything quite like Apsley across the border, and what the future may hold for one of the young guns in the county game. 

Is it harder to get a driving license or a level three coaching badge? Who's the model tennis player for Generation Z? And how do you keep the love for tennis on the day you realise you might not be a pro a...

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With Hampshire's favourite inter-club event heating up AND now going weekly in its schedule, we drop you a quick update on how last weekend went, what it meant for the tables, and who's next on deck over the August 3-4 weekend.

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One of us makes it back from the beach just in time to release this edition ahead of July 27's Apsley matches. Not that we need to see any more action, because Tom has built a crystal ball that tells us all how the divisions will end anyways! Deep stats ahead!

Meanwhile it's Dave's turn to research a Hampshire tennis event, and we dig into Hampshire & Isle of Wight Tennis' Mens and Ladies Doubles Leagues. And it's just in time, too, since it turns out they're pretty much over for the...

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Tom's started his own National League team, which prompts the question... what's this National League, then? And how did Tom get into it? 

Hold on tight as Tom explains how the upper reaches of club tennis work in the UK, and how Hampshire's clubs are faring up there. 

Back on terra firma, the heat is on for the Apsley League's Premier Division as Thornden and Riverside go head to head at the midway point of Hampshire's favourite summer tennis competition. At the other end of the tables, Twyford C co...

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A Doom Cloud hung over Hampshire's festival of tennis on June 15, but somehow the county's hardy players shivered through ten and a half fixtures of English summertime yellow ball.

In our special topic, we find ourselves wondering about the rules for rain. Do Captains really know the rules? And should we send some proposed amendments of our own to the league? Might be a bit rich for a podcast two episodes in.

After Episode One, Thornden tell us they won't give up the Premier title that easily, and they...

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With a third of the season played, Tom and Dave discuss the state of the Apsley League, Hampshire's biggest inter-club competition. 

Two big weekends lie ahead that will do a lot to settle scores across all five divisions, and we look at who plays who on June 15, the second busiest day of the summer for club tennis.

We also talk about our resumes in county tennis (spoilers, we're on very different paths) and hopes for the podcast.