Ladies on brink of making club history
Bridge of Allan ladies squash team will look to clinch their highest ever finish when they host Edinburgh Sports Club 2nds tomorrow (Thursday).
They need an 18-point maximum and Grange to lose to leaders Edinburgh University if they are to claim second in East Division One.
Captain Sheena Logan said: “To be going into the final fixture with second place still up for grabs is fantastic and really underlines how far we have come as a group of players and grown as a team together.
“First and foremost we have to focus on getting the win aganst ESC.
“We are at full strength and every one of the girls is determined to give it their best and see where that takes us.”
The team are sponsored by Richardson and Starling.
The men’s firsts will also look to consolidate a highest-ever East of Scotland Division One finish when they travel to the capital to face Edinburgh Sports Club 1sts tonight (Wednesday).
They are currently sitting fifth, just three points ahead of ESC 3 as the fixture list enters its final week.
Skipper Robin Bairner is desperate to claim a victory that would underline a season of huge progress for his group but, with his ranks depleted, is facing a last-minute juggling act.
Robin said: “It’s been a frustrating campaign for a variety of reasons but we’re going into the final match sitting in our highest position of the season in fifth and knowing that a victory should consolidate that.
“I have to be honest and say it could still have been better because on all too few occasions have we been able to field our full-strength side and sadly the selection issues that have undermined us at key stages of the campaign have been an issue this week again.
“That is the way it is for tonight’s game. You just have to accept that in amateur sport people have lives and businesses and sometimes that has hit us hard in selection terms.”
The seconds will bring down the curtain on a successful promotion campaign when they face Heriot Watt University in their rearranged game at Minewood tonight.
Captain Martin Jack is looking to sign off on a successful season with a fourgame winning streak after his men won a tense derby against Linlithgow 3-2 last time out.
He said: “It’s been a great season, with promotion to the top-flight consolidated with four games left to play, and now we want to finish on a high.
“We’ve only lost three games all season and you don’t want to end the campaign on a loss so we are determined to go out with all guns blazing.”
The thirds will take a huge step towards the Division Five title if they beat Grange V at Minewood tonight. Stewart Penman’s side lead Watsonians by 21 points with just two games to play, although the capital club have a game in hand.
Stewart said: “If they win it then the gap could be back to just three points with 36 left to play for so we can’t afford to take anything for granted.
“The title is almost in our grasp and with our last two fixtures at home against Grange and Kirkcaldy it would be absolutely criminal to mess it up.”
It really underlines how far we have come as a group of players