Tennis players from the University of Stirling enjoyed smashing success at the British Universities Championships.
The men’s first team recorded a 12-0 whitewash against Durham University to retain their championship crown in the final held as part of British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Big Wednesday at Leeds Met University.
Former Junior Grand Slam champion Graeme Dyce teamed up with Calum Gee to win the opening doubles match before world ranked singles player Nick Rosenzweig and Joe Gill secured the second, following a nail-biting 10 point tiebreak.
Gill, studying Sport Management at Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, said: “To win the Championship last year and then record back-to-back successes is a really good feeling and particularly as there are so many new faces in the team.
“We were a set and a break down in our doubles match so to turn it around and win on a tiebreak was very satisfying. The last 20 minutes of the match is probably the best tennis I’ve played with Nick [Rosenzweig] and the win gave the team the momentum to win the Championship.”
Sports Coaching postgraduate student Juan Beaus Barquin and Jordan McCulloch completed the rout as the full team enjoyed singles victories.
There was a win also for the second team in the BUCS Trophy Final – the competition which pits the best sides outside the Premier League against one another. The Stirling team of Scott Duncan, Simon Howson, Allan McClure, Jack Paterson, Adam Stevenson and captain Jordan Young defeated London School of Economics (LSE) 10-2.
Stirling’s men’s first team won the 2012-13 BUCS Premier League and was recently named Tennis Scotland Team of the Year.
The club comprises more than 150 members, with five men’s and one women’s team competing in university competitions. It is guaranteed further silverware next month as the fourth and fifth teams face one another in the Scottish Student Sport Conference Cup Final.
Euan McGinn, Stirling’s High Performance Tennis Coach, said: “This is the best squad we have ever had and they deserve great credit for their performances on the day and throughout the season. Knowing they are the best student team in Britain will give the players great confidence as they look to compete in ITF Futures Tournaments.”
Stirling offers tennis scholarships to talented players as part of its International Sports Scholarship Programme, whose alumni includes ATP Tour and Davis Cup player Colin Fleming.