Kinnoull are champs
Ryan Martin, Lewis Hall, Marcus McLaren and Cameron Ritchie Kinnoull Tennis Club’s smashing time out on the court continued at the weekend to be crowned Scottish champions for the second year running.
The men’s first squad defeated Aberdeen’s Cults on Saturday afternoon to confirm their place at the top of the Team Tennis Scotland Division One standings.
It wasn’t plain sailing for the Perth quartet in the north-east with the contest entering a shoot-out after initially finishing all-square at three matches each.
But the team of captain Ryan Martin, Cameron Ritchie, Lewis Hall and Marcus McLaren held their nerve to head back to the Fair City in celebratory mode.
Kinnoull entered the match knowing that a win would secure them the title having clinched victory in their previous three topflight tussles.
Stirling University, Prestwick and Strathgryffe were all defeated across this year before the weekend curtain-closer against Cults.
Delighted captain Ryan said: “The weather conditions were terrible up in Aberdeen and at one point it didn’t look like the match would be finished. But we waited patiently and the courts eventually dried out.
“It was a close match and we needed to battle all the way until the end.
“It’s a great achievement for our small club to have successfully defended the title in what is the top division in the country.
“We all enjoy representing the club and competing against the best in Scotland.”
Kinnoull now face a National Open pre play-off fixture against a team from south of the border, which isn’t expected to be played until the summer of 2019.