Kingussie Tennis Club's women all but clinch promotion to top-flight
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Kingussie women’s team will be playing first division tennis in 2023 barring an unforeseen calamity.
They are three points ahead of Elgin B with one match remaining so even if Kingussie lose that one, the point awarded for playing will see them lift the trophy.
The Badenoch side were up four sets to love straightaway because Forres could only muster two players in their latest fixture.
As it turned out Helen Peebles & Marjory Deans and Michelle McCormick & Anna Green won the two remaining rubbers quite convincingly 6-4,6-0 and 6-4, 6-1 respectively. The team makes the long trip to Nairn to play their final match.
The club’s Men’s team was also in contention for promotion until their penultimate match at Lossiemouth.
The league leaders have been playing great tennis and thoroughly deserve their lofty position. They sent the visitors reelin by winning each rubber convincingly. Kenny Deans, Sandy Peebles, Chris Donald and Adrian Ogden returned home wondering what had just hit them.
Grantown’s men recorded their first win of the season with a 6-3 victory over bottom dogs Forres. It has been a frustrating campaign for the team who normally finish in the top half of the table but they have been dogged by injury and work commitments.
Inverness’ Bellfield Park are the runaway winners of the 1st division and are not only unbeaten but they have yet to drop a set.
If they succeed in maintaining the run, this will be the first time since the league began in 1978 the feat has been achieved.
R&A men are in a three-way tussle with Rothes and Tain for promotion to next year’s division 2. There are only two points separating the three teams with Rothes A favourites to go up ahead of tonight’s final matches.
The Aviemore side racked up a 6-2 home win against Forres. The home pairs found it relatively straight-forward against the Forres second seeds.
The first pair were a different kettle of fish though. Nick Morgan and Dominic McAdam found the going tough and went down 4-6, 2-6. Karl Thurlow and Gavin Musgrove embarked on a closely contested affair, taking the first set 6-4 but were taken to a tie break in the second. Despite a few dodgy loss of serves, the duo did gain control winning 8-6
R&A women’s B team have won Division 3 (Highland). They put themselves in the title winning position with their latest win, an 8-0 thrashing of Bellfield Park.
With two sections of the 3rd division, R&A must now meet Rothes – winners of the Moray & Strathspey group – in a play-off to decide who goes up. However, there is a scenario whereby both teams could be promoted.
At the pre- season fixtures meeting it was decided to run Division 1 with five entrants but in 2023 it would revert to a six-team competition. This means there will be a knock on effect for division 2 which will require an extra team to ensure there are six in it.
The hope is that this scenario will come about because both teams deserve to be playing in division 2 after the hard work put in to win their events.
Meanwhile in Division 1 the club’s top team remain in the title hunt. They sit one point behind Elgin who have a game in hand.
Latest results:
Women – Division 1: Inverness A 6 Grantown A 2. Division 2: Kingussie 8 Forres A 0. Division 3 Highland: Inverness C 4 R&A C 4; R&A B 8 Bellfield Park 0. Division 3 Moray & Strathspey; Grantown B 2 Gordonstoun 6. Men – Division 1: Grantown A 6 Forres A 3. Division 2: Lossiemouth 8 Kingussie 0. Division 3: R&A 6 Forres B 2.
Mixed – Division 1: Grantown A 0 Nairn A8; Inverness A 6 R& A A 4. Division 3: Newtonmore 2 Kingussie 7. 16 & Under – Grantown 8 Rothes 4.
