New faces as squads confirmed for European Teams Championship
The Scotland squads to compete at the European Teams Championship in Zurich next month have been confirmed.
Following promotion from Division 2, Scotland’s women will compete against Europe’s top nations, while the men will aim to secure promotion back to the top division at the first time of asking.
Leading the line-up for Scotland’s women is Georgia Adderley, fresh off her fifth PSA win in Canada last month, and currently ranked a career high 32 in the world.
Also returning and hoping to build on last year’s success are world number 90 Alison Thomson and world number 156 Katriona Ross.
Ellie Jones completes the line-up, and will make her Scotland debut in the continent’s premier team event.
Three of the men who competed in last years event will return this year, with three new players entering the fold this year.
Commonwealth Games bronze winning duo – Scotland’s highest ranked players – Greg Lobban and Rory Stewart will hope to lead by example.
Alasdair Prott keeps his place in the team, following a positive experience at the World Teams Championship in Australia last year.
Martin Ross completes an Inverness trio, and will be joined by young debutants Andrew Glen and John Meehan.
Scottish Squash Elite Performance Coach Paul Bell said: “I am really looking forward to this years European Team Championships. The women’s team are back in the top division and I’m excited to see how they can compete against the top nations once again.
“Unfortunately, the event is a little too soon for Lisa Aitken to be back in action but all of the women have been training hard and achieving positive results on the PSA Tour so we all have belief they are a squad capable of competing well this year.”
He added: “Despite the disappointment of relegation last season it has provided an opportunity in the men’s squad to bring in some new players with 3 players looking to win their first senior cap for Scotland.
“It will be strange playing a team event without Alan Clyne but this is a great chance for the younger players to step up and gain some valuable experience representing Scotland at a major team event.
“I believe the makeup of the squad provides us with a great opportunity to have a very successful event.”
Scotland have a fine history in the European Teams Championship, as the fourth most successful side in the history of the men’s event and sixth most successful side in the history of the women’s event.
The women’s side secured a fourth-place finish in Birmingham five years ago, and will be aiming for another strong performance this year.
The European Teams Championship will take place in Zurich, Switzerland from Wednesday 1st May to Saturday 4th May 2024.
