Send us a text

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 prioeering work to secure scholarships to US universities for high performing juniors across the county. George successfully helped five college students get funded for US studies through his programs, so if you (or someone you know) is thinking of developing an academic career through the sport itself, his tips could offer plenty of insights.

We also spend a bit of time exploring the myths about stringing - if you've ever been offered the opportunity to have your racquet strung by someone keen to intervene in your equipment, George has a few thoughts around what to look out for to tell the pros from the amateurs there, too.

Send us a text

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 spend a bit of time on the Mixed Doubles Winter Leagues. Now that we’re a third of the way through, we’ve got a sense for how things are heating up across the six divisions in Hampshire.

Some familiar names at the top of the higher divisions are starting to rile Tom up, while some unfamiliar league shapes at the bottom end of the event have Dave flummoxed.

Send us a text

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 trick or treating? And what team has already dropped out of the running...? All this and lots of heavy guitar soundtracks.

It's a high testosterone start to the winter in Hampshire. Thankfully we'll be balancing things out next week, this one got a bit bro-tastic!

Send us a text

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 champion was crowned the ugly way!

We look forward to the winter and how the podcast coverage will handle the chillier side of the game.

Oh, and Tom loses it when we talk about how his algorithm performed in retrospect... necessitating the very first appearance of the censorship beep ti keep things clean for you all, lol.

Send us a text

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.

Send us a text

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 close out the summer before the sun disappears for good, and we look forward to a weekend of tennis right ahead to close things out.

Send us a text

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.

Send us a text

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 Tennis Hampshire Podcast!