Gilmour and Dunn in titles chase
Lanarkshire will be well represented at the Yonex Scottish National Championships next weekend as Kirsty Gilmour and Alex Dunn head to Perth.
Commonwealth and European silver medallist Kirsty Gilmour will top the line-up at Bell’s Sports centre and is playing her first tournament since the Olympics, having undergone knee surgery.
Second seed Julie Macpherson and Holly Newall will be amongst the players trying to deny Kirsty title number six.
Gilmour will also try for a first mixed doubles title when she partners Patrick Machugh in a strong line-up on Friday night.
Kirsty can expect to be in action on all three days of the tournament, as she aims to get some match practice in.
Motherwell’s Alex Dunn teams up with Rebekka Findlay, while Christopher Grimley and Ciara Torrance are joint third/fourth seeds, behind Macpherson and Martin Campbell. Adam Hall and Eleanor O’donnell are top seeds, but unseeded Machugh and Gilmour can’t be discounted.
Dunn will be out to make an impact in the men’s singles but faces tough competition from reigning champion Matthew Carder, Kieran Merrilees, Ben Torrance and twins Christopher and Matthew Grimley.
Campbell and Machugh are reigning men’s doubles champion, but will face competition from Dunn and Adam Hall, amongst others, including Hamilton’s Jamie Neill and Larkhall’s Keith Turnbull. ●See page 69 for a special report on Kirsty Gilmour’s injury battle.