Competitive tennis returns to Badenoch and Strathspey for new season
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The tennis season got off to a super start at Grantown Tennis Club at the weekend with the return of the faster format of the sport.
There was a good-turn-out of the players for Fast 4 competitions with the women's doubles in the morning and the men’s doubles in the afternoon on the town’s clay courts on Saturday.
The majority of players came from the Highlands but some entrants travelled from other parts of Scotland to play in the Grade 5 event.
The day-long tournament also provided an opportunity for some good practice for the region’s players before the Highland leagues start at the end of this month.
There were testing conditions with heavy rain and wind especially for the ladies.
In the women's doubles final Rosa Mann and Lizzy Sloan from Perth and Dundee got the better of Jenny Milne and Lisa Nairn, from Elgin, in a great match displaying a high standard of tennis.
Eve Wilkinson and Michelle Mccormick from the Aviemore and Rothiemurchus club won the third-four place match.
Honours went to Thomas Petrie and Coll Smith, from Aboyne, in the men's doubles with the visitors defeating Adrian Duthie and Scott Henderson, from Inverness, 10-8 in the third set tie-break in the final.
Orin Forbes and Walter Forbes, from Montrose and Bridge of Allan, claimed third place beating the young Bellfield Tennis Club pairing of Calum Giles and Finlay Macleod.
Tournament referee Jane Bradley said: “The courts played extremely well and despite all the rain most of the matches were completed. They were lots of close games.
“The Grantown Open competition runs from July 28 to August 4 of August and we hope to attract many of our top Scottish players.”
Results: women’s doubles semi-finals: Rosa Mann & Lizzy Sloan v Eve Wilkinson & Michelle Mccormick 4-2, 4-2.
Jenny Milne & Lisa Nairn v Jane Sim & Teresa Tait 4-1, 1-4, 11-9. Final: Rosa Mann & Lizzy Sloan beat Jenny Milne & Lisa Nairn 4-1, 4-1.
3rd v 4th: Wilkinson & McCormick beat Sim & Tait 4-2, 2-4, 10-6.
Plate final: Isla Dickinson and Riana Oeschger beat Marjory Deans and Helen Peebles 2-4,4-1, 10-4.
Men's doubles results semi-finals: Thomas Petrie & Coll Smith beat Orin Forbes & Walter Forbes 4-2, 4-3.
Adrian Duthie and Scott Henderson beat Calum Gilles & Findlay Macleod 0-4, 4-1, 10-8. Final: Petrie & Smith beat Duthie & Henderson 4-0, 3-4, 10-8.
3rd v 4th: Forbes & Forbes beat Gilles & Macleod 4-2, 4-0.
Plate final Gavin Musgrove & Karl Thurlow beat Walter Cruickshank & Malcolm Reynolds 4-3, 4-2.
