Team BigShots - West Squash and Racketball Event

The first Sunday of October 2013 saw the first ever Big shots team event introduced. The idea for the event was to give players experience and practise at performing as part of a team, as both the inter-regional’s and representative events are all played in a team format.

TEAM LINEUPS

The tournament the took place at the soon to be Commonwealth Games venue at the fantastic Scotstoun Sports Campus. The 19 competitors were divided up in to 4 evenly matched teams which was chosen from the West Junior Order of Merit, and played a league tournament with 3 rounds of matches. The teams were:

Team A – Orla Young (NEW), Finn Herbert (SCO), Jack Fenton (SSR), Meghan Sherrit (SSR), Oonagh O’Sullivan (GIF)

Team B – Lewis Reid (DLR), Sandy Niven (SCO), Gregor Gerry (NEW), Gregor Munro (SCO), Ellen Hazlett (NEW)

Team C – Tabitha Gerry (NEW), Jamie Wilson (STR), Jack MacKinnon (SCO), Jemma Young (NEW), Rebecca Miller (NEW)

Team D – Declan Moore (GIF), Cameron Moss (NEW), Bilal Zahid (SCO), James Hazlett (NEW)

The matches were the usual best of three games. Teams were awarded one point for each game won and also a three point win bonus for the team that won the most matches. The tournament was highly competitive and the new format made for an exciting atmosphere, with all the players cheering on their teammates. To make up the numbers in Team D, it was agreed that one player would play twice to make up the matches.

ROUND ONE

The first round of matches saw A v B and C v D. The first match went to Team B in a very close first round tie 10-6 due to wins from Sandy Niven, Ellen Hazlett and Lewis Reid. Team A picked up wins in the form of Jack Fenton and Megan Sherritt.

In the other encounter, Team C won edged a very tight 3-2 , thanks to victories from Tabitha Gerry, Rebecca Miller, Jack Mackinnon, whilst Team D picked up wins from Cameron Moss and James Hazlett, winning a very close 2-1 tie against the up and coming Jemma Young.

ROUND TWO

Round Two put A v C and B v D. The first match saw Team A breeze past their opponents with a solid 4-1 win, with 2 – 0 wins from Orla Young, Oonagh O’Sullivan and Jack Fenton and Megan Sherritt completing the rubber with a 2-1 win. Jamie Wilson salvaged some pride for Team C with a 2-0 win over promising Scotstoun player Finn Herbert.

B v D was a very close affair with a final scoreline of 9-6 for Team B. Wins from Lewis Reid, Gregor Gerry and Ellen Hazlett gave Team B the valuable bonus points. Ellen’s match was a very closely contested match that very nearly caused a family feud against her brother James, and Father Hazlett refereeing! Cameron Moss and James Hazlett provided still valuable wins for Team D.

ROUND THREE

The third and final round consisted of A v D and B v C. The first match was once again tightly contested ending in yet another 3-2 finish. Cameron Moss continued his winning streak, finishing the tournament undefeated and without dropping a game and James Hazlett won both his ties to claim the two rubbers for team D. Team A victories came from Orla Young and Jack Fenton, both winning 2-0. The scores so close going into the last few ties the atmosphere was electric….

Meanwhile, in the other match, Team C managed to turned their last rounds heavy loss into to a spectacular win against the undefeated Team B thanks to wins from Tabitha Gerry, Jamie Wilson and Jemma Young. Adding in their win bonus meant that the final results were sitting on a knife edge making a real nailbiter of a finish. Despite the team loss, Ellen Hazlett completed her unbeaten run in the tournament and and Gregor Gerry salvaged some crucial points for Team B. Would they still be able to pull through??

THE FINAL COUNTBACK

In an incredibly close finish, Team B finally emerged victors with a total of 23 points, pipping their opponents to victory by just one single point. With teams A and C tied on 22 points, the number one players of each team, Orla Young and Tabitha Gerry, took to the court to decided who would take second place. Orla won a tough and very close play-off game, and both players received a large round of applause from the spectating parents and players. Despite finishing in fourth place, Team D played very well and finished only one point behind second place.

The first Team BigShots was a great success, due to the closeness of the overall scores and there being very little difference between any of the teams. An enormous thanks go to not only the players, but also the helpful parents who assisted with refereeing many of the matches, and the support and cheering from everyone led to a great atmosphere for the event. Hope to see you all next month!