Players land titles at Scottish seniors

Scottish Seniors 70s doubles champions Hunter Reid (left) and Chris Ornstein

Milngavie Tennis Club players Russell Howat and Hunter Reid and Jordan Gray, from Thorn Park Tennis Club in Bearsden, were all among the winners.

The competition is classified as an International Tennis Federation Grade 3 Tournament for world ranking points and over 200 players from 18 different nations took part.

Russell Howat, who learned his craft at Auchenhowie but has lived in London and played for the Cumberland Club for many years now, won the 60s Scottish Seniors Open Singles Championship final despite being unseeded, defeating number three seed Tony King, from England, 6-3 7-5.

Milngavie stalwart Hunter Reid, partnered by Chris Ornstein from Chichester, won the 70s Scottish Seniors Doubles Championship,

The pair, who were top seeds, beat England’s Keith Palmer and Bev Wilson 6-3 1-6 10-8 in the final.

And Jordan Gray demonstrated why he has been selected for the Great Britain team at this year’s world championships when, seeded second, he won the men’s 35 & over singles title with a 6-3 6-2 success over the unseeded German Jens Helfferich.

Milngavie Tennis Club players Ian Swann and first team captain Lorne Berkley also took part in the event.

Lorne played in the 35s singles and doubles and Ian competed in the 65s singles and was very narrowly defeated by Lorne’s dad Keith Berkley from Edinburgh, who won the 65s doubles.

Hunter, Russell and Ian play for the “Glasgow Wide Boys International Touring Team”. The team is drawn from throughout the UK, but all members have connections with Glasgow and most with Milngavie Tennis Club.

Hunter said: “The good performances in the tournament bode very well indeed for our annual tour of Tuscany in June this year.

“The tour has been very successfully organised for 16 consecutive years by Scottish internationalists Ian Campbell and Laura Middleton of Tuscan Tennis Holidays.

“Over the years, the team has played on the fabulous clay courts of clubs in Pisa, Florence, Bologna, Lucca, Pontederra, Forte die Marmi, Marina di Massa, Lido di Camiore and Montecatini Terme.”