Galbraith Highlands tennis league latest: Elgin derby action, wins for Forres, Rothes and Gordonstoun
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Duff Avenue was the venue for the first Elgin derby of the season in the men's league.
The A team steamrollered their B counterparts (8-1) to get back on the winning track following their defeat to champions-elect, Bellfield Park.
Results: Ewen Fraser and Mitchell McGrath lost to Henry Archibald and Dave McPherson 2-6, 1-6; lost to Zen McClure and Lewis Simpson 3-6, 6-3, 8-10, Ed Borrowman and partner lost 1-6, 1-6; lost 6-7, 3-6.
In the second Division, Forres A’s match at home to Inverness B was a prime example of tennis’s answer to football’s “game of two halves”.
The homesters had an easy time of it against the visiting second pair of Gavin Ross and Lloyd Eastwood, racing to tie up the rubber 6-0, 6-0, while Andy Williams and Gerald Winkler won 6-4, 6-0.
Inverness' first couple were a different proposition and although Forres put up a stiff fight, the visitors levelled the match on rubbers. However Williams and Winkler managed to take the first set and that proved decisive. Forres had taken the three points
The Rothes A team travelled to Nairn and returned with an impressive 8-1 victory under their belt. Peter Scott and Mark Hearns won 5-7, 7-6, 11-9; won 6-4, 6-0. Adam Macleod and Ross Jagger won 6-1, 6-0; won 6-4, 6-0.
Gordonstoun added to their points tally when they defeated Grantown B at Grantown.
The public school’s first seeds, local lads Lewis Aykroyd and Brodie McMulkin won both their contests in fine fashion: 6-4, 6-2 and 7-6, 6-2.
However, the back-up pair had a much tougher time, being taken to the championship breaker in both rubbers. They lost both but Yovik Litvanov and Felix Skarphalt, by taking a set off each of the opposing pairs had done enough.
Rothes B were in for a surprise when they turned up at Bellfield Park, Inverness.
They discovered that they would be playing against an adult, a 12-year-old and two boys aged 13. However, any thoughts that they were in for an easy time were soon dispelled.
The battle of the top seeds turned out to be very one-sided with the youngsters romping to a 6-4, 6-0 win over Sam and Liam Anderson.
Meanwhile, on court two, Neal Anderson and Jack McConnachie were taken to three sets with the Rothesians just scraping over the line in the breaker. So, 3-2 to Bellfield after the first round.
The remaining rubbers were both three-setters with one won by each team, meaning no change to the first round, one set gap in favour of the Inverness side.
In the women's leagues, the meeting of the two top division teams ended with Elgin A keeping their 100 per cent record intact following a 6-3 victory at Rothiemurchus.
Elgin's first doubles pair of Jasmin Taylor and Riana Oeschger walked the 1v1 rubber 6-1, 6-0, but found their second match a totally different ball game.
It looked like a repeat of their opening rubber as the pair raced to take the first set 6-1. The homesters’ sluggish start was soon erased as they succeeded in levelling matters (7-5) and the first-to-ten decider was competitively fought out before the Duff Avenue side snatched victory on the 9-8 match point.
Kirsty McCalman and Isla Dickinson had a difficult time against the Rothiemurchus and Aviemore first pair, eventually going down 6-0, 6-2. However, they came alive and took their second outing outing 6-4, 6-1.
So, Taylor and Oeschger had an easy time of it against the Aviemore team’s first seeds while McCalman and Dickinson lost just as easily. The opposite happened against the second seeds, with McCalman and Dickinson doing much better than Taylor and Oeschger.
Rothes lead the way in Division 2 and won a further three points when they defeated Nairn B 8-0. Johanne Dunn and Michelle Fraser won 6-3, 6-0; won 6-0, 6-2. Maureen Turner and Marjory Stronach won 6-0, 6-2; won 7-5, 6-0.
Elgin B’s 6-2 home win last week spelt a double victory, for the club, over R&A. Lisa Nairn and Millie Ralph won 6-0, 6-4; won 6-4, 6-4. Joan Flett and Sarah Macdonald lost 3-6, 4-6; won 6-2, 6-3.
To finish off the Division 2 round-up, Elgin C failed to make it a hat-trick for their club. The team lost 7-2 having travelled along the A96 to Inverness with high hopes of gaining a good result against the Bishops Road club’s second string. Hilary Dawson and Angela McWilliam won 0-6, 6-0, 10-0; lost 0-6, 2-6. Lisa Nairn and Lorna Bain lost 1-6, 1-6; lost 4-6, 1-6.
Division 3 saw a great double for the Forres club. The A team won 6-0 at home to Grantown - Lily Carmichael and Sarah Henbrey unfinished, 6-4; won 6-2, 7-6; Pauleen Brown and Janette Ker won 6-1, 7-6; unfinished 6-4.
The B team recorded a 7-2 win at Kingussie. Nikki Dean and Annerle Douglas won 1-6, 7-5, 10-5; won 6-1, 6-1. Paula Phillips and Janette Ker unfinished 3-6, 6-4 won 6-3, 6-3.
In the mixed league, the Rothes club was hit hard on Monday night with both teams losing out to Elgin.
The first string was playing away and lost 8-1. Results, Elgin first: Sally Walker and Lewis Simpson beat Michelle Fraser and Peter Scott 7-6, 2-6, 10-7; beat Maureen Turner and Mark Hearns 6-0, 6-1. Jasmin Taylor and Ed Borrowman won 6-3, 6-1; won 6-0, 6-4
On Speyside, Rothes B lost 8-0. Johanne Dunn and Eoin Robertson lost to Joan Flett and Grant Higgins 6-7, 4-6; lost to Lisa Nairn and Jim Meisner 2-6, 0-6. Alannah Ayres and Daniel Hadden lost 1-6, 0-6; lost 2-6, 1-6.
Results, 14 and Under:
Gordonstoun C 2 Rothes 7. Harry Sheldon lost to Zach Burns 0-6, 2-6; Frieda Stancke beat Myles Taylor 6-1, 6-3; Shalom Samuel lost to Taylor Smith 0-6, 3-6; Neve Cottrill lost to Katie McConnachie 3-6, 3-6. Boys Doubles 4-6 unfinished; Girls Doubles not played.
Gordonstoun B 9 Rothes 4. Rothes names only - Tristan Taylor lost 2-6, 4-6; Angus Obry lost 3-6, 0-6; Harris King won 6-1, 5-7, 10-8. Alex Fox lost 5-7, 5-7. Taylor and Obry lost 3-6, 3-6; King and Fox won 6-2, 6-2.
12 and Under:
Elgin A 10 Gordonstoun 2. Drew Murdoch beat Lucia Aykroyd 4-0, 4-0; Zofia Andrasovska beat Kathryn Nip 4-0, 4-0; Maya Kobedza beat Anna Cowdry 4-2, 4-1; Ava Reid lost to Kayden Dandjinou 3-4, 3-4. Murdoch and Reid won 4-2, 4-1; Andrasovska and Kobedza won 4-0, 4-0.
Elgin B 9 Forres 5. Rose Christie lost to Borys Sulkowski 3-5, 0-4; Isla Johnston beat Jonathan Herbert 4-0, 1-4 10-7; Crystal Fraser Mackenzie beat Caitlyn Pendry 4-1, 4-1; Reuben Garbutt beat Samuel Herbert 4-1, 4-2.
Christie and Johnston lost to Sulkowski and Herbert 2-4, 4-2, 8-10; Fraser Mackenzie and Garbutt beat Pendry and Herbert 4-2, 4-2
9 and Under:
Rothes 5 Forres 18. Wiktor Palasz lost to Alexander Duguid 5-10, 0-10; beat Jacob Forwood 0-6, 5-10, 10-3. Imogen Muir lost 9-11, 4-10; lost 5-10, 8-10.
Oscar Malcolm beat Eryn Smart 10-3, 9-11, 10-8; lost to Maya De Oliveira 10-3, 6-10, 15-17. Aaron McConnachie lost 0-10, 11-13; lost 4-10, 5-10
Palasz and Muir lost to Duguid and Forwood 6-10, 8-10; Malcolm and McConnachie lost to Smart and De Oliveira 6-10, 8-10
Gordonstoun 0 Elgin 20.
