SKN Central Scotland Regional Masters
The SKN Central Scotland Regional Masters tournament was held at the picturesque former Spa Town at the Bridge of Allan Sports Club on 9/10 February.
There was a very healthy total of 83 competitors who took part in two Ladies’, nine Mens’ and seven Plate events. The main sponsor for the tournament was SKN Electrical Services.
Walter McAllister, Keith Gristwood, Allison Penman, Ian Douglas and Bert Mitchell managed a very well organised tournament. The catering, provided by Inception Catering, was excellent and the Bridge of Allan team all worked hard to make all competitors welcome.
John Rae helped Walter present the prizes – it was great to see John looking well again after his serious illness. At the prize giving, Michael Martin, on behalf of the competitors thanked Walter, Allison, Ian and Bert for all their hard work.
Mike Halpin, Peter O’Hara, John Crawford and Bert Mitchell all deserve thanks for providing refereeing services during the tournament.
John Kynoch quickly assessed the SKN Central Regional Scotland Masters results and updated the Masters Ranking Points which can be accessed on the Scottish Squash website.
LADIES O40
There were four competitors and the competition was played as a round robin. The players were Jennifer McArtney from Forthill Squash Club, Sue Strachan from Dumfries Squash and Racketball Club, and Karen Robertson and Sabine Mackenzie, both from Bridge of Allan Squash Club.
Karen played Sabine on Friday night on their home courts. Sabine won the match 3/0 but it was a good contest particularly in the second game which Sabine won 18/16.
On Saturday morning Karen played Jennifer and this was a closely contested match. Karen started strong and won the first game 15/10 but Jennifer fought back and held her nerve to win the second 18/16. With Jennifer tiring in the third and fourth games Karen took control and won both games and the match 3/1. On Saturday afternoon Jennifer played Sue. Sue played well and comfortably beat Jennifer 3/0.
In the two early morning games on Sunday, Sabine and Sue had comfortable 3/0 victories over Jennifer and Karen respectively. This set up the last match and final between Sabine and Sue who had both won their earlier matches. Sabine started strongly and won the first game 15/8 and continued to control the second and third games which she won 15/12, 15/7 and O40 title. Sue was runner up and Karen was in third place.
LADIES O55
There were four competitors and the competition was played as a round robin. Unfortunately Bernie Beattie had to withdraw before the competition started and so we were down to three. We wish you a speedy recovery Bernie! Norma Marshall was first to play and continues to improve but was suffering from a hip and knee problem which prevented her from executing her usual drops and accurate lobs. It was tough going for Norma and although she tried to the end she lost both her games 3/0.
Pauline Douglas and Christina Graham contested the final match. Although Christina started well and was trying to take the ball early to put Pauline under pressure Pauline soon found her stride and took the first two games with lovely shot play, anticipation and wonderful movement. Christina stuck to her task with Pauline making her cover every inch of the court and although she staged a late comeback in the third game Pauline proved once again that her opponents will have to raise their game to compete with this former World Masters’ champion!
MO35
There were only three competitors in this event and the competition was played as a round robin.
The three players were Jonathan Thompson from Inverness Tennis and Squash Club, Billy Scott from Dunbar Squash Club and Mike Martin from Giffnock Tennis and Squash Club. All the matches were played on Sunday.
In the first two matches Jonathan played Mike and then Billy and Jonathan lost 3/0 to both players. The third match was therefore the final between the hard hitting Billy and the fast moving Mike. Billy started strongly and taking the ball early he won the first game 11/4. In the second game Mike fought back and moved Billy around the court and won the second game 11/5. He continued his good control and won the next two games 11/3 and 11/7 and the match 3/1 and the O35 title. Billy was runner up and Jonathan was third.
MO40
The O40s was reduced from a draw of 8 to 6 with a couple of late withdrawals, the last of which unfortunately had gone undetected and meant that Scott Hay had a walkover in his quarter final. In the quarter finals played, Barry Masson beat Malcolm Cameron 3/0, and Grant Gray beat Jon-Paul Dinnin by a similar scoreline.
The first semi final saw Barry and Grant, both based at the same club, play out a close contest. Barry took the first game, setting an early pace Grant perhaps hadn’t warmed up to. Grant then took the next 2 games, managing to get an early lead and keep hold if it in each. In the fourth game Barry got ahead 7/3, but was being made to do a lot of work by Grant who maintained consistency and earned his way back into the game, eventually coming through the winner in 4 games lasting just over an hour.
The second semi final saw no1 seed Andrew MacBean’s first game of the weekend, and he was able to see off the challenge of Scott Hay 3/0.
In the final, Andrew got off to the best start, taking the first game convincingly 11/1. Grant played much better in the second, keeping it close until Andrew took it 11/9. The third game was even tighter and Grant managed to get the better of it in the tie break 13/11. However, Andrew was then able to keep the pace of the game up in the fourth game, and Grant struggled to stay with him, in the end losing a high quality match 3/1 and the O40 title.
There were only three players in the Plate with Jon-Paul Dinnin playing Malcolm Cameron and the winner met Scott Hay in the final. In a tight four game match Malcolm beat John Paul and then Scott Hay comfortably beat Malcolm 3/0 and won the O40 Plate final.
MO45
BUCHAN BACK ON FORM
After a below par performance by his standards at the East of Scotland event in January, Peter Buchan (Montrose) made a welcome return to form, taking victory in the 2019 Central Scotland Masters O45 division.
Buchan overcame a potentially tricky first round opponent in Adam Clayton (Linlithgow Squash Club) relatively comfortably, to set up a semi-final with long-time Scotland teammate, Paul Jenkins (Watsonian Squash Rackets Club). Jenkins, who is yet to play his best squash in 2019 had earlier negotiated a tough opening match with the ever-dangerous John Kynoch from Inverness.
Jenkins edged a close first game that could have gone either way and then
established a two game lead before Kynoch hit back in the third. Jenkins was up to the task however and moved safely into the semi-final 3/1.
In the top half of the draw, top seed and 2018 Scotland O-45 number 1, Angus Woodward (Newlands) eased through 3/0 against Malcolm Cameron (Whitecraigs) while Chris Turlik (Dollar Squash Club) and Douglas Emery
(Whitecraigs) renewed their evenly matched rivalry. On this occasion it was
Turlik who took the honours in a match that was closer then the 3/0 scoreline
reflected.
In the Plate semi-final, Emery faced Clayton for the third consecutive tournament. After losing to the man from Linlithgow in the West Masters in November, Emery turned the tables in Edinburgh last month and once again had the measure of Clayton this time round, winning 3/0. Kynoch set up a Plate Final with Emery by beating Cameron, also 3/0.
As always, Jenkins and Buchan produced a match of high quality and pace. The man from Montrose, however, keen to bounce back after being ousted from the East Masters in a classy display by Emery, came out on top to reach yet another Final, defeating Jenkins 3/0. Buchan’s expected opponent in that final – Woodward – set up a 2/0 lead, winning the first and second games 11-9 against Turlik but the lower ranked player dug deep to level at 2/2 before going on to win the fifth game 11/8 to reach his second final of the season.
Turlik’s first ever win over Woodward turned out to be the only upset of the weekend in the O45s as Emery won the plate with a 3/0 win over Kynoch.
As for the main event, Buchan proved far too strong for Turlik as the former delivered his best squash of the year to win easily. Turlik may have paid the price for his titanic struggle against Woodward the previous evening but even with fresh legs, would have found it difficult to keep pace with his experienced and very determined opponent.
Heading to the final event of the season, the Scottish Masters National Championships in Inverness, the 2019 O45 team is beginning to take
shape. At the top of the table, Buchan and Turlik appear to have secured their
places for May. Woodward and Jenkins currently occupy the other two automatic qualification spots but with Simon Boughton (Edinburgh Sports Club) expected to travel to Inverness to defend his title, one of those three may need a wild card to make the team. The second wild card could see a straight shootout between Kynoch and Emery who are neck and neck in the points race. With extra points available in Inverness, there will be much to play for.
MO50
There were 8 players in this year’s Men’s O50s event, played as a straight knock-out over 3 rounds. It looked a very evenly matched field and there would undoubtedly be some interesting contests ahead…
Day 1
The first round of matches took place early on Saturday afternoon.
There were clinical straight games wins for Brian Robertson against Adam Hill and Martin Jack against Colin McMullan respectively.
Craig Mitchell dropped one game before coming through 3/1 against David Lindsay, whose cause wasn’t helped by back trouble during the match.
Tie of the round was between Andy Meldrum and Mark James, who had a hard fought match that went the distance. Andy took the first game by a two point
margin (11/9) only for Mark to win an equally close game (13/11). Mark carried the momentum from winning that game on to the next to take a 2/1 lead.
However, Andy won a critical fourth game and yes, it too was by a two point margin (12/10). This time, it was Andy who had the momentum and he saw out the match 3/2.
Semi-finals were played later on Saturday, with Brian lining up against Andy and Martin against Craig.
Brian was unable to carry on where he left off earlier in the day and, despite taking a close first game, it was Andy who increased the pace and played altogether smarter squash to reel off the next three games to make it to the final.
In the other match, Martin continued in the same vein as his first match with a dominant display for a second straight games win to make it an all Bridge of Allan final.
Day 2
The final between the two home players, Andy Meldrum and Martin Jack was an intriguing tussle, and the first two games were shared, Andy taking the first and Martin responding by winning the second. Andy had shown earlier in the weekend that he could win tight games and matches and further demonstrated it here by taking the third game 12/10 and the fourth 11/9 to win the title and in so doing made it four different winners across the five MO50 Masters events played so far this season, with only next month’s Nationals remaining.
Only two players competed in the Plate and David Lindsay beat Adam Hill 3/0 in the final.
MO55
The entry of 16 was both the highest and the strongest for a long time, including four of last year’s 55s team and two other regular team players. The top four seeds were all winners and runners-up from the previous four events this season, so whoever played on Sunday was going to have a testing time. Keith Murray was making his first appearance and Paul Harris had dropped down an age group, together with Keith Gristwood who was doubling up with the 60s.
The first round matches saw the top eight seeds all progress, generally comfortably but with some close individual games. In draw order, Jimmy Wells (1) beat Rolf Hansen 3/0, each game becoming closer; Graham McAinsh (8) beat Lance Marshall 3/0; Keith Murray (5) had a walk over after a late withdrawal by Eric Duguid; Ronnie Carter (4) beat Archie Magillivray 3/0; Russell Hunter (3) beat Donald Durrand 3/0; two of the games being close; Paul Harris (6) beat Ricky Easton 3/1; David Goldring (7) beat Keith Gristwood 3/0, the last just; Chris Holt (2) beat Trevor Mitchell 3/1.
Only four of the first round losers elected to play in the Plate, all the matches
being played on Sunday. Donald beat Lance 3/0 although the first and third were tight. Archie had a five setter against Keith G, having squandered a 2-0 lead but regained his composure to clinch the fifth 12/10. Archie’s stamina knows no bounds as the Plate Final also went to five: Donald had the lead twice before Archie saw out the fifth 14/12, definitely getting his money’s worth.
The quarters on the main draw saw comfortable wins for Jimmy over Graham 3/0 after a close first game, and Chris also 3/0 over David; Ronnie had a close
fought 3/0 win over Keith M, two of the games being 15/13 and 12/10 so missed
chances for Keith. The pick of the round was Russell vs Paul, the first time they had played each other due to an age gap of about 7 years; Russell led twice, his strengths being reverse boasts and forehand cross court volley nicks; these were countered by Paul’s straight soft drives to level it at two all. The fifth was close the whole way, Russell squeezing it out 11/9.
Rested over-night, both semis looked evenly balanced, all four having beaten the others over the years. Dumfries club mates Jimmy and Ronnie were pitted together; Jimmy won the first easily with consistent lengths, Ronnie controlling the second and third with his boasts. Jimmy levelled the match to force a decider which steadily built to a gripping finale. Ronnie saved a match point at 9/10 with a serve return cross court volley drop before taking the next two points to win the game 12/10. The other semi saw Russell race into a first game lead which threatened to become two before Chris recovered from a slow start to make it one each. The following games were close and included many long rallies, both players making the other twist and turn; Chris maybe had a little more speed and reaction to squeeze both 11/9 to win 3/1.
After a longish break, the final saw Ronnie quickly take the first 11/1, Chris again being out of sorts at the start. He was more competitive in the second, Ronnie winning it 11/8, but there were signs of recovery. Chris achieved a more consistent length wining the third 11/5 and the fourth 11/8, restricting Ronnie’s
opportunities for winning boasts and drops. Ronnie regained the momentum in the fifth, leading 7-5 before a volleyed tin let Chris back in. Some tight drops
and counter drops saw Chris edge the final game 11/9 to regain the trophy.
Following this event, the top four ranked players are Chris, Ronnie, Russell and Jimmy.
MO60
There were 12 entries and the competition was played as a knock out.
1st Round
Duncan Selkirk v William Jappy.
In this match William’s game of high lobs and drops proved to too much for Duncan. William won 3/0 – 15/12, 15/8, 15/10.
David Hickman v Charlie Patrick
David’s games of hitting tight balls to length proved to be decisive and he winning 3/0 – 15-8, 15-10, 15-10.
Lance Marshall v John Charles
John proved too strong for Lance, John winning 3/0 – 15/4, 15/3, 15/8.
Bryan Jackson v John Miller
New Master’s player John surprised Bryan with his ability and movement round the court. After an easy first game for John, Bryan knuckled down and got into his stride, but John was up to the challenge and won the next two games and the match 3/0 – 15/7, 15/12, 15/11.
Quarter Finals
Robin Ridley v William Jappy
Robin needed on his guard in this match and both players quickly got into their game. William’s unusual style and Robin’s grit and retrieval ability made for a very entertaining game. Countless times Robin appeared to be wrong footed but managed to achieve a winning shot from a difficult position. Robin won the first game, the second proved tougher with both players having chances to win the game but Robin came through to win this game. The third game saw Robin really getting into his stride winning it comfortably and the match 3/0 – 15/10, 17/15, 15/3.
David Hickman v David McAleese
This was also a very close match David H’s game of hitting quality balls to length contrasted with David M’s of taking the ball early. At 2 games all David H’s game moved up a notch and he won the match 3/2 – 15/10, 5/15, 15/13, 9/15, 15/9.
Keith Gristwood v John Charles
This was another tough match between these two players. John attempted to go hard and fast, trying to knock Keith off his stride and this succeeded for the first two games as John went 2/0 up. In the third game Keith got into his stride and took the game to John forcing John into errors. In the fourth game John regained the initiative and took the game comfortably and the match 3/1 – 15/10, 15/11, 8/15, 15/9.
John Miller v Norman Patterson
The first game was very tight with both players feeling there way into the game. John won the first game with Norman making too many errors. The next 3 games went to Norman who tightened up his game forcing John into errors and he won the match 3/1 – 14/16, 15/4, 15/8, 15/9.
Plate Final
Keith Gristwood v David McAleese
This was an entertaining match between these two who both clearly enjoyed this light hearted encounter. Keith won the early games and took a 2/0 lead, the next 3 games were ‘nip and tuck’ with both players having opportunities to take the games. David went on to win the next 3 games and therefore the plate final 3/2 – 14/16, 12/15, 15/13, 15/10, 15/12.
Semi Finals
Robin Ridley v David Hickman
Both Robin and David started off very evenly, a tight game with both playing good length shots to the back. Robin won the first game and David won the second. .During the second game a collision occurred between the two in which David injured his back. He was able to complete the second game which he won but then was unable to complete the third and conceded the match 3/1 – 15/10, 10/15, 15-9 (Retired)
John Charles v Norman Patterson
This was another tough hard fought contest, not very pretty but honest. John won the first after forcing Norman to make many errors. Again Norman got into his stride during the second game and a real battle commenced for the next 3 games. Norman eventually coming through 3/1 – 11/15, 15/11, 15/13, 15/11.
Final
Robin Ridley v Norman Patterson
The final was a cracking game played at a furious pace, Norman taking the ball early and moving Robin around the court and Robin retrieving well and keeping Norman at the back. Robin won the first two games but during the third Norman upped the pace placing Robin under real pressure and won that game. During the fourth Robin moved the tiring Norman around the
court pressuring Norman into rushed shots which Robin picked off. This was a really good match which Robin won 3-1 – 15/6, 15/12, 17-19, 15/7.
MO65
There were 12 entries and the competition was played as a knockout.
There were four first round ties which were played on Saturday morning and the the top four seeds received byes. Jim Webster, Emilio Fazzi and Keith Hobson, (a newcomer to the O65 age group), had comfortable 3/0 wins against Brian Duffy, Matthew Crawford and Duncan Selkirk.
In the other first round tie Alex Allan played Robert Thomson in a closely contested match. Robert, originally from the north of England has played squash around the world and has recently moved to Pitlochry and is playing and assisting with Junior Coaching in the Tayside area. Alex won the first game 17/15 after Robert had a game point. Robert fought back in the second game and with his long reach and good touch won the second game 15/10. The third game was ‘nip and tuck’ before Alex held his nerve to win the game 16/14 and with Robert tiring Alex won the fourth game and the match 3/1. Robert will be force to be reckoned with in the upcoming O65 Masters events.
John Howie, Jim Dougal, Ian Ross and Ernie Cowell, the top four seeds, joined the other first round winners in the quarter finals. John, Jim and Ian safely progressed to the semi finals with 3/0 wins against Jim Webster, Alex Allan and Keith Hobson although there were some good fighting performances by all three losers.
In the pick of the quarter finals Ernie, seeded 4 played Emilio, seeded 5. Emilio has been playing well this season and taking the ball early and playing numerous winners he beat Ernie 3/0. Ernie fought hard and contested every game but could not win a game and prolong the match which Emilio won 15/12, 16/14, 15/13!
The semi finals were played on Sunday morning. First match was John v Emilio and then Jim v Ian. John, having joined the O65 this season is an excellent racket player and covers the court well. Despite some excellent rallies John proved too strong and won the match 3/0 and progressed to the final.
Jim beat Ian in the final of the East Masters in January by a very tight 3/1 margin. This match was also very tight and lasted for nearly one hour. Ian started strongly and held on to win the first game 15/12 but Jim fought back and with his touch at the front he won the next two games to lead 2/1. Ian was leading in the fourth game but was caught at 14/14 by Jim, who had a match point before Ian held his nerve and won the game 17/15 to level the match at 2/2. In the final game Ian was looking the strong and 10/6 but Jim fought back and levelled at 10/10 before Ian held his nerve to close out the match 15/11 and progress to the final.
In the final John was too strong for Ian, particularly after his long semi final. John quickly got into his stride and won the first game 15/6. Ian fought back and was in contention throughout the second game but John held on to win the game 16/14 and comfortably won the third game and the O65 title.
There were only three players in the Plate with Brian Duffy playing Robert Thomson and the winner met Duncan Selkirk in the final. Brian has continued to make progress in his first season as a Masters player. He beat Robert by 3/2 in a closely contested match and then comfortably beat Duncan Selkirk 3/0 and won the O65 plate. Robert enjoyed his first Scottish Masters tournament and he is looking forward to the next tournament.
MO70
A large turnout meant some matches were moved to Friday evening. A good entry of 13 ensured a 16 format draw, with only the numbers 1, 2 and 4 seeds, Alex Sinclair, Tom Kane and Warren Cameron having byes to the quarter-finals.
Friday evening
The following players volunteered to play their first round.
First round
John McLaren v Dave Bissett
Both players were new to O70s. John’s unorthodox style was no match for Dave’s patient controlled play taking match 15/11, 15/9, 15/10.
Result Dave won 3-0.
Andy Duff v Ian Nicholson
Dynamic Andy had too much energy and easily overcame his opponent 15/7, 15/6, 15/7. Ian clearly lacked match practice.
Result Andy won 3-0.
Saturday
First round
Alex Sinclair (1), Warren Cameron(4),
Tom Kane (2) had byes.
John Mortimer v Alfie Thomson
John started well taking the
first game 15/12, Alfie then managed to take control winning the next three
games 15/12; 15/12; 15/13.
Result Alfie won 3-1.
Ken Reid v Vincent Taylor
This match was put back due to Vinnie not feeling well in the morning. Ken went into an early lead from the closely contested first two games 15/12, 15/13. Vinnie recovered in the third with some controlled squash and did just enough to take it 15/13. In the fourth game Ken’s determined, aggressive play overwhelmed Vinnie 15/5.
Result Ken won 3-1.
Bernard Starkey (3) v George Dinnin
A rematch between Bernard & George, a nervy start with both players making errors, either could have taken the first but Bernard came out on top taking it 15/13. Bernard was more focused in the second and with his better movement overcame George who was carrying a leg injury which hampered his game and Bernard won the second game 15/6. The final game saw a spirited reply from George however it was not enough with Bernard taking it 15/8.
Result Bernard won 3-0.
Quarter finals
Alex Sinclair (1) v Alfie Thomson (8)
Alex was in control of this match from the first ball, trotting out 15/6, 15/5, 15/6.
Result Alex won 3-0.
Ken Reid (5) v Warren Cameron (4)
Ken didn’t have much time to recover before this match but Warren was slow off the mark, Ken taking an easy first 15/5. The second was different, a more determined Warren countered with some strong play, Warren looked to be in control but it went to 14/14…. Was Ken tiring? Warren took a close game 16/14. Warren continued into the third taking it 15/10 and looking good 2/1 up. In the fourth it was ‘nip and tuck’, when Warren got distracted by a refereeing decision that he contested, then lost his concentration and the game to Ken 15/6 – 2/2 game on! In the final game Ken’s determination to WIN clearly showed with his powerful serve and play taking the 15/11 and the match..
Result Ken won 3-2
Bernard Starkey (3) v Dave,Bissett (6)
Dave, who was playing in his first O70s Scottish event – although he had played in the British Masters Open O70s at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, when he lost 1-3 to Ian Ross, in the second round. Dave was simply too consistent
and accurate for Bernard.
This was a first meeting between Bernard and Dave (from Bournemouth)
The opening game saw a see sawing match with Dave making few errors and with his all round racket play took the first 15/12. Dave with his good movement and better play took the next two games 15/6, 15/6.
Result Dave won 3-0.
Andy Duff v Tom Kane
This was an interesting match between two mobile players with different styles.
Andy took the first 15-12, only to see Tom becoming more consistent and winning three games on the trot, 15/11, 17/15, 15/10.
Result Tom won 3/1.
Sunday
Semi Finals
Alex Sinclair (1) v Ken Reid (5)
In the first semi final, Ken started off quickly with a 6-1 lead against Alex, but it was a false dawn, and Alex’s steady, to a length and retrieving, game eventually giving him a straightforward win. Result Alex won 3-0.
Dave Bissett (6) v Tom Kane (2)
In the second semi final, Tom had a good tussle with Dave, coming back, from 0/2 down, to take the third 17/15, but tiring a bit in the fourth, which Dave won 15/9. Perhaps the fact that Tom had played a 5 games long match, in the O75s, only an hour before, was a factor in his tiring in the fourth! However, if one enters two age groups, you have to accept what transpires in the draw!
Result Dave won 3-1.
Final
Alex Sinclair (1) v Dave Bissett (6)
The final, between Alex and Dave, brought together two players with very similar styles and both played very consistently, to a good length and width. There was very little to choose between them, and not surprisingly it went to the fifth, after Dave held a 2/1 lead. Although Alex looked as if he was really tiring and Dave appeared quite fresh, it was Dave who made the few unforced errors in the fifth that allowed Alex to secure the fifth, 15/12, and become the O70s winner of the Central Scotland Masters, thus adding to his win in the East of Scotland O70s, at Edinburgh, in January.
Plate
John McLaren won the plate with a 3/2 victory over Vinnie Taylor, with Vinnie retiring when 2/1 up, due to a leg injury, perhaps brought about by his playing two matches in the Over 75s earlier on the Sunday.
Thus the stage is set for the Nationals at Inverness, where the O70s field
will be even stronger, than at BoA , if the two players at the top of the O70s
points rankings table, Ian Ross and George Stirrat, enter the fray.
MO75
There were four entrants, two quite recently over 75 (Dave Brown and Ken Reid), and two over 80 (Tom Kane and Vinnie Taylor) – the competition was played as a round robin.
Saturday
To start the round robin, on the Saturday, Tom Kane had a 3/0 win over Dave Brown, with Tom playing sharp attacking squash right from the outset and not letting Dave settle into the match. In the other match on the Saturday, Ken Reid had a 3/1 win over Vinnie Taylor, with the first three games being closely contested, before Vinnie appeared to tire in the fourth.
Sunday
In the early matches on the Sunday Dave had a comfortable, quite rapid, 3/0 win over Vinnie, while the match between Ken and Tom proved to be a marathon, lasting about 50 minutes, with Ken edging a 3/2 victory, and Tom rueing not taking advantage of a match point, and losing both the third and fourth games by close margins (14/16, 15/17), then, uncharacteristically, making a few unforced errors towards the end of the fifth, which Ken won 15/10.
In the afternoon matches, Ken had a 3/0 win over Dave, but each game was won by just two points, with Dave playing the penalty for playing slack points right at the end of each game.
In the other afternoon match, in the battle of the Over 80s, Tom had a 3/1 victory over Vinnie, but the whole match, especially the very closely contested the second and third games (17/15, 14/16), was hugely entertaining, and the excellent display of drop/lob squash was very much appreciated by a big audience, on the number 3’show court’.
Thus, Ken Reid finished as the winner of the O75s Central Scotland Masters, Tom Kane was the runner-up, with Dave Brown third and Vinnie Taylor fourth.
All four of the entrants, at the BoA, should be available to play in the Home Internationals this year, which will be held in Galway on 3-4 May, ensuring that there should definitely be a Scottish O75s squad of four players in 2019, after, disappointingly, not being able to field one in 2018.
Key Dates
Scottish Masters National Championships | 15-17 March 2019 | Inverness Tennis and Squash Club
Entries close Friday 1 March 2019, 11:45pm
Masters Home International Dates
MO40 MO60 WO35/40 – 26/27 April 2019 in Cardiff
MO35 MO55 MO75 WO55 – 3/4 May 2019 in Galway
MO45 MO65 WO45 – 10/11 May 2019 in Edinburgh
MO50 MO70 WO5o – 17/18 May 2019 in Nottingham
British Open Masters 2019 – 21 to 26 May 2019 at Hull University
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