Both youth and experience enjoyed success as the Team Scotland Series came to the Edinburgh Sports Club this weekend for the Sterling Trucks Scottish Senior National Squash Championships.

Sixteen-year-old rising star Georgia Adderley put in a superb performance to win the women’s title for the first time, while in the men’s event two-time Commonwealth Games competitor for Team Scotland, Alan Clyne, outperformed his domestic rivals to take a seventh national title.

Edinburgh teenager Adderley, who has also played age-grade football for her country, is seen as Scotland’s best squash prospect – and it is easy to see why. She showed determination and skill to defeat 20-year-old Elspeth Young from Kinross 11-4, 5-11, 11-6, 12-10 to lift the trophy in front of an appreciative audience.

It looked as if the final was going all the way to five games with Young, at 10-5 up, poised to take the fourth and force a decider. An impressive display from Adderley however, saw her fight back to take it 12-10, and with it the Scottish title.

After the match, a delighted Adderley said: “Coming into the event aged 16 as number one seed brought its own pressures, but I had played in this event last year for the first time and that helped me with nerves and what to expect out there.

“I played well in my semi-final on Saturday and that left me feeling good about the final. Elspeth is a few years older than me and more experienced, so I knew it would be hard.

“We had some really good rallies in the first game, but she then came back in the second. At that point I had to hold my nerve, but I did and got a good start to the third game. I then managed to go on and win and the feeling at the end was amazing.

“At the moment it has not quite sunk in, but I have had loads of texts from friends and my family are really proud.”

In the men’s event Scottish number one Alan Clyne, who has risen to world number 32, defeated Edinburgh’s Douglas Kempsell to lift his fourth successive national title.

It was Clyne’s seventh victory at this event overall and he was on top from the off in the final, winning in three games 11-5, 11-5, 11-2.

The champion, 30, from Inverness, said: “To say you’re Scottish champion is a prestigious thing and it’s very important to me. I felt good going through the rounds, but I knew that Douglas would put up a real fight in the final because we all know he is a battler.

“That was the way that it panned out, but I managed to get on the front foot and take the win.

“I am often playing abroad, so I love getting a chance to play in Scottish tournaments and I am very proud to be national champion for a seventh time.”

The Team Scotland Series is a ground-breaking collaboration which brings together Scottish Championship events across 13 Commonwealth Games sports. The next event in the series will be the Boxing Scotland Elite Finals on April 1 at Ravenscraig.

Photo credit: Roberts Sports