The Tennis Hampshire Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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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 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. 

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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 trip to Portsmouth to check out their district LTA. 

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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 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?

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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 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?? 

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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?  

Find Mike and Jay at https://www.riverside-ltc.org/project

The brothers’ other recommended podcasts: 

Great Base Tennis: https://greatbasetennis.com/podcast/

Nothing Major Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nothing-major/id1756744318

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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 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!

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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 look at Apsley results from last week, including a surprise win for Warsash, and what the fixtures this weekend could bring. 

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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 two losers in the summer so far. 

Finally, it’s a nice and chunky weekend ahead, so we look forward to ten fixtures on Saturday. Well, nine, since one team has already fallen on its sword and given a walkover. Any guesses who it was? Get the rant klaxon ready!

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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 the scheduled 13 fixtures were postponed in the end. There’s chatter of revisiting the rules around hot weather, and the big end of season finales now look a little upside down, especially in the Premier Division.

Twyford got the first top flight win of its 120 year history in the Apsley League. Player of the fixture Sam Hunt shares what it means to the A team and how it sets up the back of the summer season. 

Sam's interview at The Bugle Inn starts at 18.42.

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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 mean, of course...  

Plus Dave and Tom are in the Hampshire singles boxes, and we chat a bit about Wimbledon too. Maybe electronic line calls aren't the answer after all?

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