2024 East of Scotland League Match Results. Week 3

Ladies 1’s (Div 1), captain: Suzie Provan

Braid firsts played away to Blackhall this week, and enjoyed some good tennis. It was also very pleasant to play in warm, calm weather! Mhairi and Sarah, and Emily and Heather continued to win all their matches, whilst Alice and Suzie won against their opposing pair but lost 6-2 6-4 to the first couple. Overall, a 10-3 win for Braid, keeping us top of the table. 

Ladies 2’s (Div 2), captain: Amy Allen

This week was our first week of the season playing at home.  Lomond Park had been promoted last season and having myself played and lost both matches last season I was keen to finally get the win over them. And this we did! Lisa and Juliet were back together to win all their sets convincingly, Andrea and Lorraine were also back together and swiftly dispatched the LP 2nd couple. Their second match against the tricky to play LP 1st couple was very close but ended up in a LP win.  Amy and Margaret got off to a strong start against the 3rd pair and won quickly.  The second pair took slightly longer but still came out in a Braid win giving a final score 10-2 to Braid.  Well done all, I was very happy to come away with such a good win! 

Ladies 3’s (Div 3A), captain: Diana Dalton

Braid 3 Ladies ventured out to Musselburgh’s soft and sandy courts this week, which took a fair few games to get used to. Their 2nd couple proved stronger than their 1sts and their 3rds more effective than they looked, so we had plenty of in-match adjustments to try to secure the wins. We were delighted to come away with a 10-2 victory - team made up of Janine and Maki, Eileen and Diana, and Cat and Viv. Shout out to Eileen who was on cracking form, playing through double calf cramps with stoic determination!

Ladies 4’s (Div 5B), captain: Mhairi Reid 

The team played at home against Mortonhall 3 this week.  We’d lost to them last season so we were keen to even things up.   

In the first round, Erin and Jacqui paired up together for the first time and played well to take a set from an experienced third couple.  Anne and Sugantha faced strong opposition in the second couple but secured two sets, and Hazel and Mhairi won against the first  couple.  Braid 4 went into the second round 5-3 up.  

Hazel and Mhairi, and Anne and Sugantha went on to win their second round matches giving Braid 4 a 9-5 win.   

Ladies 5’s (Div 9), captain: Kerry Cooper 

Great fun was had by all against South Queensferry’s 2nd team on Thursday at our Craiglockhart 'home'. We took it away 12-0 and didn't give many games away. The shot of the match came from Jules Moon, when she ran across the back of the court shouted at Ali to' get out the way', Ali well ducked, and hit a cross court winner. Good grounding Jules! Everyone was on such good form the opposition couldn't get a look in, though they certainly put in huge effort. And the sun setting at the end showed a lovely ball of fire dropping over the horizon. 

Men

Team 1 had a nice match away against a very strong Thistle 1 team. After some good level tennis match unfortunately lost the match 0-12. The team was made up of Gregor Stott, Joe Edmunds, Tom Johnston, Nick Barnes and Angus Edward & Jimmy Wood.

Team 2 got a great win 12-0 against Lomond Park’s second team away. Well done to Mark Brocklebank, Jesse Phitidis, Danny McLaren, Ewan McMillin, David Rigterink and Alexey Dronov.

Team 3 visited Blackhall’s second team away and had some good results but unfortunately lost 5-10. The team was John Charlton, Peter Thomson, Ross Cobban, Peter Traynor, Eugene Creally and Callum Thomson.

Team 4 also secured a good win at home against Meadows City 4s 11-3. Well done on sneaking the win to Gilberto Martinez, Juan Carlos Varona Sanchez, Roger Layton, Andy White, Alexander Westmoreland and Gary Kedney.

2024 East of Scotland League Match Results. Week 4

Ladies 1’s (Div 1), captain: Suzie Provan

The first team secured a comprehensive win against Mortonhall this week, dropping just 10 games. Mhairi was unavailable, so Suzie teamed up with Sarah at first pair, and we also welcomed back Eva who played for the first time this season as she makes a gentle return to match play as she manages injury. We had a lovely warm evening which was most welcome, and also appreciate David and Caroline coming down to watch 😊

Ladies 2’s (Div 2), captain: Amy Allen

The team travelled to Dunfermline this week to face their 1s.  We didn’t quite know what to expect as they had been relegated from Division 1 last season, and despite losing a number of players, have had strong results so far this season.  Lisa and Juliet, Amy and Marianna, and Andrea and Margaret won the first round sets - Andrea and Margaret finishing in what felt like record time (thankfully, as they would need every ounce of energy for their second match!).

Second round matches ended in wins for Lisa and Juliet, and Amy and Marianna, in two sets for both.  This gave us the chance to watch the amazing battle that was ensuing on the last court between Andrea and Margaret and Dunfermline’s 1st couple. It was a fantastic match to watch with both players digging deep to come out with a 7-6, 4-6, 10-6 victory.  This gave us a 12-1 win overall and up to second place in the division this week.  Well done team.

Ladies 3’s (Div 3A), captain: Diana Dalton

Braid 3 Ladies had a tough match against David Lloyd Newhaven this week, losing 11-4. Having won last season’s matches easily, we were this time faced by four out of six new players, including a highly promising u16 (formally Thistle) coming up the ranks making their first couple pretty formidable (for us at least!). The final score line didn’t do justice to the evenness of the tennis overall. Three out of the four matches against their 2nd and 3rd couples went to championship tie breaks. Players were Lorraine and Diana, Maeve and Lisa, and Maki and Hazel.

Ladies 4’s (Div 5B), captain: Mhairi Reid 

Our match this week was away against Abercorn who came down from division 4 at the end of last season.  

Viv and Mhairi lost in a close tie break in the first round, and Anne and Sugantha lost to a strong second couple.  Jacqui and Catriona were partnering together for the first time, and played well to get a win against the third couple.  We went into the second round 3-4 down with everything to play for.  

Anne and Sugantha won two sets against Abercorn’s third couple, and Viv and Mhairi won another two against the second couple. Braid 4 ended the evening with a 7-6 win, which was a great result.  

Ladies 5’s (Div 9), captain: Kerry Cooper 

Braid 5 women defeated David Lloyd Shawfair 8-5 at our Craiglockhart home in what must have been the hottest day this year. Our first pair triumphed over their opponents despite very strong play from the first pairs opposition, as did our third pair winning in a match tiebreak in the first round. DLS strong second couple made it difficult for our twos to hold on and lost the battle 6-7,2-6. Well fought! Our third couple pulled out all the stops to come round to a 6-3, 6-4 win over DLS strong second pair. Well done everyone for a battle well fought and victory claimed. To top off the evening we welcomed Ev's magnificent ginger cake, yet, a second reason (over brilliant steady play) to guarantee her place in the team!

Men

The men's first team had a tight tie at home against Colinton 1 with some good matches, but unfortunately the tie went Colinton's way 10-5. The team was Gregor Stott, Angus Edward, Joe Edmunds, Tom Johnston, Nick Barnes & Stef Van Walstijn.

Men's T2 had a strong win away against Merchiston 1 11-2, keeping them in contention for promotion. The team was Jesse Phitidis, Danny McLaren, David Rigterink, Ewan McMillin, Mark Brocklebank & Zac Davies.

Our men's third team had a nice match at home against Kirkcaldy 2, with the opponents taking the win 9-5. The team consisted of Graham Moffat, Peter Thomson, Ross Cobban, Peter Traynor, Andy White and Eugene Creally.

Men's T4 had a very close match against Drummond 3 away, unfortunately just missing out 6-8. The team was Gilberto Martinez, Finn Mitchell, Juan Carlos Varona Sanchez, Callum Thomson, Chris Arnold and Edward Curtis.