Scotland secured top spot in their World Team Championship group with an assured win over Samoa this morning.

Athletes know the risk of an upset all too well, so the Scots knew they had to maintain high standards to avoid suffering any shocks against their Polynesian opponents.

Today also provided a memorable moment for 22 year-old Alasdair Prott, who made his debut at a World Team Championship.

Rory Stewart v Onesemo Old

There was no sign of any complacency as Rory Stewart took on Onesomo Old in the first match, as Rory made light work of his spirited opponent.

The Samoan squash player was well backed by his teammates who cheered and roared the points that he did win, but those proved to be few and far between as the quality of Stewart shone through.

The first game was won in just five minutes, with the Scot dropping two points and the second game followed a similar pattern, ending 11-3.

Rory’s consistent play, and accurate lobs in particular, proved too much for his opponent throughout the match, and that was the theme as Rory secured the 3-0 win in just 18 minutes.

With his trademark style, the Perthshire squash star makes the sport look effortless at times, and having dealt with his opponent in fairly short thrift, he will be ready and raring to go in the days to come.

Greg Lobban v Leo Fatialofa

It was the battle of the top ranked players next, as Greg Lobban took on Leo Fatialofa.

Fatialofa hit a high of 368^th in the world ranking four years ago, so faced an uphill struggle to match the Scot who finds himself on the verge of the top 20.

Greg used all of his experience to keep his opponent at arm’s length in the first game, rarely giving the Samoan the opportunity to move him from the front of the court, with the Scot dropping just one point.

Fatialofa fared better in the second game, but Lobban’s class shone through once again to clinch it 11-6, with the help of a particularly deft boast that left his opponent no chance of retrieval.

Game three followed a similar pattern – with the second point a particular highlight as Fatialofa ran, and ran, and ran, winning the point to acclaim from the Samoans – and the Scots – watching.

It finished 11-3, and it was job done for Scotland.

This match was played in the best of spirits, with both participants sharing laughs and smiles as the games wore on. Squash at its best.

Alasdair Prott v Donald Marfleet

It was a big moment for Alasdair Prott who made his first appearance at a World Team’s Championship against Donald Marfleet.

The young Inverness squash star showed no signs of nerves as he raced through the first game, dropping a single point.

This was the pattern for much of the game as Alasdair’s high level of play and fitness shone through.

The second game finished 11-3, and just two points were lost in a four minute final game.

It was job done for Prott, who will be pleased to have thundered through his first match for Scotland on the world stage.

At no point did the world number 117 look troubled in a strong debut.

Scotland will face tougher tests, but today’s match required a professional performance which was duly delivered, and Scotland will be delighted to have ended the group stage as winners.

What they said

Alasdair Prott said: “I’m really happy to have made my debut at the World Team Championship today.

“I played well and it was great to get an outing on a glass court too.

“Hopefully we can keep up this good form as we move into the last 16 tomorrow.”

Paul Bell, Scottish Squash Elite Performance Coach said: “It was great to play against a new opponent today as this was our first time playing Samoa.

“It was great for Alasdair to get his first appearance at the world teams, and everyone played well.

“We’re into the last 16 tomorrow with a game against Hong Kong with the time and court still to be confirmed.

“We’re looking forward to the draw to find out when we’ll be playing, and then we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

What’s next?

Next up, Scotland take on Hong Kong in the last 16.

The match gets underway tonight at 11pm (Scotland time) and will be streamed for free on worldsquash.tv, the official streaming platform of the World Squash Federation.

Fans can also watch action from the Mercury Arena on the Olympic Channel, and on SQUASHTV (subscription required).