Bravehearts team up for double win
World Team Tennis may be celebrating its 47th season in America but it was recording a first in Scotland when the Stirling Bravehearts took on the West of Scotland Wolves at Andy Murray’s Cromlix Hotel over the last two weekends.
With clubhouses closed across the country, league competitions and tournaments have been cancelled this summer which has presented an opportunity for new format pop-up events to take place.
Judy Murray spent last July working with legend Billie Jean King’s Philadelphia Freedoms and brought the mixed team format to Scotland to showcase to clubs, players and coaches as an alternative to the normal league seasons.
She said: “You only need one court to play WTT on which means it’s fun for players and for spectators. There’s four in a team - two men and two women - plus a captain and everyone stays on court on the team bench during play.
“There are five matches - two singles, two doubles and a mixed - and each match Is first to five games. You score a point for each game won and the winner is the team with most points at the end of play.”
She went on: “There are fun rules that help to create a really good atmosphere. Captains can call coaching time outs and they can make mid-match substitutions. There’s no ad scoring. And there are no lets on serve If the ball hits the tape, you play on.
“There’s music at the changeovers as well. We had local junior Dugald Mackechnie piping the teams on to court and Dunblane teenager Holly Jarvis from the Rubber Chicken Theatre sang Flower of Scotland at the opening ceremony so the whole event had a very Scottish and local theme to it.”
Local solicitor Kerr Stirling sponsored the events and there was success for the Stirling Bravehearts in both the junior and senior events. Captained by Adam
Brown, the team of Anna Sterk and Euan Mackenzie (both Bridge of Allan), Eilidh Davidson (Dunblane) and Marcus Maclaren (Perth) defeated the Wolves 21-16.
In the seniors match, Ali Collins from Dunblane, Ruaridh Fraser, Joe Gill and Rosie Sterk from Bridge of Allan beat the Wolves 21-19 with Collins and Fraser clinching the final mixed doubles match 5-3.
Adam Brown said “This was a great event for juniors and for adults. The juniors had the experience of playing in front of a small crowd for the first by time and being part of a mixed team with coaching on court.
“Everyone is looking for competition as we come out of lockdown and this was a really fun way to bring them together again. The format requires just one court and works for all ages and stages so I hope it will catch on across the country.”
Clubs looking for more information on the format and the rules can find them on wtt.com.