Mixed fortunes for tennis clubs from Badenoch and Strathspey in Highland league openers
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The Galbraith Highland Tennis Leagues are back with a strong entry of teams from Badenoch and Strathspey.
There are 13 clubs competing, ranging from Tain in the north to Newtonmore in the south.
These clubs have generated a cumulative total of 121 teams. The teams comprise Mini (8s, 9s & 10s), through Junior (12s, 14s & 16s) to the Senior events (Men, Mixed & Women).
Of the clubs in the strath, the breakdown of entries is Grantown (9); Rothiemurchus & Aviemore (10); Kingussie (4) and Newtonmore (1).
Men
Kingussie’s campaign in the first division got off to the worst possible starts. Their opening home fixture was cancelled because the courts were waterlogged.
They then travelled to Inverness and not long into the 1v1 rubber Colin Ransay turned his ankle and although he heroically carried on for a couple of games, he had to call it a day.
It was a setback for the visitiors who had to concede the rubber as well as the second to put the Badenoch team 4-0 down.
The match could still be drawn but unfortunately it was not to be as Kenny Deans and Sandy Peebles went down 6-2, 6-2 and 6-2, 6-4 in their two contests.
The latest injury puts Kingussie in a sticky wicket as the club’s top player is also out through injury.
Also in the top division, Grantown A recovered from their opening day 8-0 drubbing at the hands of Bellfield A to win 7-2 at home to Elgin B.
For Colin McLeod and Matthew Davies it was an easy run out with scores of 6-3, 6-2 and 6-0,6-1 recorded.
However, Andrew and Billy McLeod found it a tougher exercise.
In the 2v2 rubber the Moravians pushed the Grantonians all the way to a first set tiebreak but the homesters upped their game to take the breaker quite comfortably, going on to overcome
their opponents in the next set.
The pair’s second match was an enthralling three setter which the homesters just lost out 8-10 in the championship, first to ten, tie break
R&A have entered two men’s teams for the first time this year with both playing in Division 3.
The A team’s away day down Speyside to play Rothes B did not prove at all fruitful as the 6-3 scoreline suggests.
However, the reality is that the visitors could have won had they converted their chances in two tie-breakers.
Gavin Musgrove and Dougie Somerville lost out narrowly 5-7, 6-7 against Rothes’ second string in the pouring rain.
Emil Mirossay add Nick Morgan gave the homesters’ first seeds a mighty scare when they held set points in their second set breaker.
Had the tie breakers been won by R&A, the result would have been 5-4 in R&A's favour.
The B team were also defeated. Inverness travelled down the A9 and returned with the three points.
R&A B 3 Inverness C 7
Tom Davey and Colin Campbell won 3-6, 6-4, 12-10; lost 3-6, 7-5, 6-10. David Phimister and Shaun McIntyre 1-6, 0-6; lost 0-6, 0-6
Bellfield Park B 8 Grantown B 1
Angus Robinson and Marcus Alliod lost 1-6, 0-6; lost 3-6, 6-2, 4-10. Matthew Hamlett and Chris Rose lost 1-6, 0-6; lost 2-6, 0-6
Women
Following their 8-0 rout of Nairn A, the Rotiemurchus first team had to travel a bit down the A9 to meet neighbours Kingussie.
Result: Kingussie 3 R&A A 6
Marjorie Deans and Helen Peebles lost to Wendy Munro and Amanda Shepherd 4-6, 3-6; drew with Jo Evans and Eve Wilkinson 5-7, 6-4. Michelle McCormick and Moira Webster lost 1-6, 0-6; won 4-6, 6-4, 10-7
Also in Division 1 Grantown A plunged to their second defeat in a row. Only a win in the 2v1 rubber prevented another whitewash Result: Nairn A 6 Grantown A 2
Lindsay Tinney and Diane Sellars lost 0-6, 1-6; won 6-3, 7-5. Paula Starritt and Patricia Lawson lost 2-6, 2-6; lost 0-6, 2-6.
The Aviemore based second team, gained total revenge for their A team’s defeat at Nairn when they inflicted an 8-0 whitewash on the coasters.
Lyndajean Fishpool and Fiona Clarke won 6-1, 6-1; won 6-0, 6-1. Kim Beattie and Amy McAdam won 6-1, 6-3; won 6-0, 6-1.
Division 3 round up
Grantown B 3 Bellfield Park A 3
Marlene Tainsh and partner unfinished 4-6, won 7-5, 7-6. Pauline Mitchell and Carol Armour lost 2-6, 2-6; unfinished 6-4.
Lossiemouth 4 Kingussie B 3
Christine Sutherland and Mary Anderson lost 2-6, 2-6; won 6-1, 6-3; Deb Tait Davis and Eileen Stuart lost 1-6, 6-3; unfinished 6-3.
R&A C 0 Forres A 8
Jenny Sime and Judith Smith lost 4-6, 0-6; lost 5-7, 5-7. Irene England and Joan Knox lost 0-6, 2-6; lost 0-6, 1-6
Mixed
Division 1
Elgin B 5 R&A A 5
Eve Wilkinson & Findlay McDonald won 2-6, 6-4, 10-6; won 6-3, 7-6. Sheila Lowther and Dougie Somerville lost 1-6, 1-6; lost 6-4, 1-6, 6-10
Division 2
Rothes B 0 Grantown A 8
Lindsay Tinney and Walter Cruikshank won 6-4, 6-2; won 6-2, 6-4; Diane and Declan Sellars won 6-3, 6-4; won 6-4, 6-4
R&A B 5 Forres 5.
Rothiemurchus A team were up against the trophy holders Elgin A last night. The visitors’ first seeds proved too strong for the two home pairs The two victories put the Moravians four sets up.
However, if both homester pairs could beat the Elgin seconds a draw could be achieved.
That hope was scuppered when Caroline Bashford and Gavin Musgrove lost the opening set (3-6). However, they got their act together to level matters (7-5) and so it went to a match tiebreak which Bashford and Musgrove took by a four-point margin.
Because the 2v2 rubber was a lengthy affair, the 1v2 contest involving Eve Wilkinson and Finlay McDonald did not even manage to complete a set before the cut-out time set at 9pm.
The tussle went to 6-6 when the time limit was reached
Grantown’s undefeated start to the season came unstuck at Inverness. It was a very close affair with three match tiebreaks needed. Lindsay Tinney and Walter Cruikshank managing to be involved in two – winning one of them.
Their cumulative results made the score a tie at three sets each. Rachel Knight and Marcus Alliod’s first encounter turned out to be the only clearcut wins of the evening (going down 1-6, 3-6).
That put the tally at 5-3 but the Grantown side was not yet defeated as, if they were to win in straight sets, they would leave with a share of the points.
Unfortunately the pair were put to the sword in the first set and, although they eventually won by two sets to one, the damage had been done.
