Findhorn triumph over Elgin rivals in Moray mixed doubles tennis tournament held at Marine Park courts in Lossiemouth
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THE first-ever Moray final to decide the Highlands tennis mixed doubles tournament took place at Lossiemouth's Marine Park courts.
Findhorn went into the match as winners of the round-robin section of the event and reached the final by knocking out Forres in the semi-final.
Elgin C, who finished third in the group, defeated host club Lossiemouth in the semi-finals to progress to the finale.
First up were the Findhorn first seeds versus Elgin’s seconds and Elgin’s top pair against the Findhorn seconds.
Joan Flett and Grant Higgins (Elgin 1) put their team two sets up in double quick time, getting the better of Ros Wright and Dave Till 6-1, 6-2. Finishing not that far behind, Sylvia Black and Jai Hutton (Findhorn 1) levelled matters with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Angela McWilliam and Blair Nairn.
Round two saw Findhorn’s Wright and Till take little time to despatch McWilliam and Nairn 6-3, 6-0.
The outcome of this crucial fixture was now down to Black and Hutton v Flett and Higgins.
The former needed to win just one set to see their team crowned champions. The Elgin pair knew exactly that they needed a two-set victory to force the match into a games countback situation.
The scene was set for a very nervy rubber. Games went with serve until Flett’s was broken at 3-3. The Findhorn pair then held serve to extend their lead to 5-3. Crunch time had arrived. Higgins duly won his serve to keep Elgin in the hunt. It was now down to Black to serve for the match and she did just that – to love no less.
There was still unfinished business, the little matter of a second set but in reality the match was over, Findhorn had won. Black and Hutton went on to win the second set 7-5.
The junior match of the week paired up Elgin 12s' A and B teams in an eagerly awaited derby clash at Duff Avenue on Tuesday evening.
This fixture was significant in that there were more girls involved than boys, with the B team consists of four girls while Millie Ralph is a stalwart of the A team.
With all four courts available, the singles were contested first. These ended with both teams level on four sets each.
Leading the way for the girls, Amelie Anderson played out of her skin to notch up a 4-3, 4-3 win over Drew Murdoch.
Fighting back for the A side, Millie Ralph overcame the challenge from Fiona Coull but Connie Simpson put her side back in the lead with the 4-2, 4-2 defeat of Donald Coull.
It was down to Borys Sulkowski to stem the tide, to stop the four girls taking a 6-2 lead into the doubles. He did what he was asked to do, getting the better of Jessica Williamson.
The effort put into the singles seemed to affect the B team badly. Simpson and Ralph did take Coull and Sulkowski to a first set tie break, but on losing that the girls faded, losing the second 4-0.
In the other doubles, Murdoch and Ralph really set the heather on fire, beating Anderson and Coull 4-0, 4-0.
The A team have still a Moray decider against Lossiemouth to play while the four girls travel to Rothes on Saturday to complete their schedule
Results, Mixed: Elgin B 8 R&A A 1
Kirsty McCalman and Adam McLeod won 6-1, 6-1; won 6-3, 6-3. Teresa Tait & Callum Nairn won 6-1, 6-3; won 6-4, 2-6, 10-8
Rothes B 3 Gordonstoun 4
Johanne Dunn and Steve Allan beat Clara Friedmann and Tristan Braun 6-1, 6-2; drew with Zara Frazer and David Morton 2-6, 6-4.
Phil Foley and Martina Munro unfinished 5-7; lost 2-6, 4-6
Men: Elgin B 0 Elgin A 8
Rhys Philips and Dave McPherson lost to Henry Archibald and John Walker 3-6, 1-6; lost to Nio Trujillo and Zen McClure 4-6, 2-6.
Ewen Fraser and Adam McLeod lost 0-6, 5-7; lost 5-7, 2-6.
Elgin D 2 Rothes 6
Grant Higgins and Blair Nairn lost to Peter and Bradley Scott 2-6, 2-6; beat Sam Anderson and Gary Logan 6-1, 6-2.
Jim Meisner and Nathan Urwin lost 1-6, 1-6; lost 6-7, 5-7.
Ladies: Elgin A 8 Nairn B 0
Dawn Phillips and Jasmin Taylor won 6-1, 6-1; won 6-1, 6-2. Teresa Tait and Jessica Nairn won 6-4, 6-3; won 6-3, 6-3.
Junior, 16s: Elgin 12 Bellfield 2
Lewis Aykroyd won 6-0, 6-1; Tom Christie won 6-1, 6-4; George Wallace won 6-0, 6-0; Callum Kirkpatrick won 6-3, 2-6, 10-8. Aykroyd and Christie won 6-1, 6-4; Wallace and Kirkpatrick won 6-4, 4-6, 10-4.
14s: Rothes B 6 Bellfield Park A 6
Alfie McConnachie lost 2-6, 2-6; Charlie Kennedy lost 3-6, 1-6; Shane Fox won 6-0, 6-0. 4th singles conceded by Bellfield.
McConnachie and Kennedy lost 0-6, 1-6; 2nd doubles conceded by Bellfield.
12s: Gordonstoun 2 Rothes 10
Flora MacPherson-Grant lost to Michael Myron-Petrie 0-4, 1-4; Alex Rowe lost to Antony Lewis 0-4, 0-4.
Oonagh Cottrell lost to Riley Stuart 0-4, 0-4; Tom Barber beat Izaak Symon 4-2, 4-1.
MacPherson-Grant and Cottrell lost to Myron-Petrie and Lewis 0-4, 0-4.
Rowe and Barber lost to Stuart and Symon 1-4, 0-4.
Lossie 10 Rothes 5
Aneurin Buyiers lost to Antony Lewis 4-0, 2-4, 0-4; William Smith beat Zach Burns 3-5, 5-3, 10-8; Rothes conceded 3rd & 4th singles.
Smith and Marley Hughes lost to Lewis and Burns 4-0, 4-5, 6-10. Rothes conceded 2nd doubles.
10s: Gordonstoun 7 Rothes 6
James Hart beat Grant Myron-Petrie 4-1, 4-0; Alex Fox beat Rose MacPherson-Grant 5-3, 4-0.
Finn Barber beat Cooper Stuart 4-0, 4-1; Kathryn Nip lost to Joel Stephen 3-4, 4-3, 7-3.
Rothes 0 Elgin B 12
Grant Myron-Petrie lost to Ellie Hommell 0-4, 1-4; Alex Fox lost to Rose Christie 1-4, 3-5.
Cooper Stewart lost to Isla Johnson 0-4, 0-4; Joel Stephen lost to Zophia Andrasovka 0-4, 1-4.
Myron-Petrie and Fox lost to Hommell and Christie 0-4, 0-4; Stewart and Stephen lost to Johnson and Andrasovka 0-4, 1-4.
