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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 we look at the three hot button topics - continuous play, point deductions for walkovers, and whether Ryde Meade’s application to join the Southampton LTA would get past a members’ vote. The more the merrier, right? We’ll see.

Plus, since we’re recording on a Friday night, Tom had a Brewdog while we recorded. See if you can spot the signs of inebriation slowly creeping in as the discussion continues. Kids these days!

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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 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.

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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 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.