West Lothian A Team narrowly lose out to Murrayfield

Oct 6 2011 West Lothian Courier

WEST LOTHIAN A Team were handed a late boost in their Edinburgh and Lothians League matches when their first-choice trio made an early return.

In the Premier Division encounter against last season's third-placed Murrayfield, the A Team produced a surprise when Lewis Hills (captain) and Brian Hunter returned from holiday sooner than expected and George Flanagan made a quick return from injury.

While favourites Murrayfield went on to win a close match 6-4, they were made to work hard for their victory at Bathgate Sports Centre. Hunter led the way for the home team by winning two of his three singles but, in the meeting of the respective No1s, he was unlucky to lose in the fifth set 11-3, 8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 14-12.

West Lothian's other wins were registered by Hills and Flanagan with one apiece but neither looked likely to win more. Hills combined with Hunter in the doubles but without success. Next week they travel to North Merchiston with hopes of taking at least a point.

Meanwhile, the B Team, comprising of John McCulloch (captain), Barry Hills and top junior Kieran Boyle, put another Murrayfield team to the sword with a 10-0 whitewash in their Division One encounter. However, the final result totally belies how competitive and tense most games were.

First up for West Lothian was Boyle, who found himself two sets to one down before finding his form to win the next two sets with consummate ease in a successful score of 8-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-5, 11-3.

Team captain McCulloch then found himself in a very similar circumstance before winning 11-6, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4. Hills then won his first game, in one fewer set.

No fewer than four of the 10 games went to the deciding set and all went the one way. All three West Lothian players were involved in a close call before finishing undefeated in their singles games.

McCulloch and Boyle adding the doubles, again in the fifth set. Still, they go into the next match against Edinburgh International with probably the same team and with a 100 per cent record.

Close by, the E Team was taking on Meadowbank in a Division Two fixture. Normally there is a pool of four players to choose from but the unavailability of John Swift meant that the team picked itself. So it was that Jim Stewart (captain) was joined by Martin Rumsay and the fast improving Aaron Cameron.

Having just been relegated from the higher division the visitors' experience at a higher level always made them favourites and so it proved.

In losing 3-7, each of the home team won one game but, more importantly, should learn from the experience of opposing a team of veterans.

Of the three it was young Cameron, after only one season in a lower division, who came closest to increasing his haul when he lost in five sets after taking the first and third sets.

The night's biggest disappointment was the F Team's 2-8 loss to the Blue Liners, a team representing the Lothians and Borders Police Service, in Division Three.

This team only entered the league last season with a view to providing much needed experience to newer West Lothian club members and surprised all and sundry by finishing in second place and providing four of the division's top performers in Benny Flockhart, Stephen Gray, Graham Chambers and Aaron Cameron.

Cameron has already been promoted and, in the absence of Gray, to team captain Flockhart was added Chambers and Kevin Boyle. Those representing the away team can change quite significantly from week to week but on this occasion they had all of their top guns available to take both points away with them.

It was Flockhart who again led by example in winning West Lothian's two games. In his other match he led by two sets to one before being worn down and eventually succumbing 11-4, 6-11,12-10, 6-11, 2-11. All the other matches were pedestrian with the exception of game four where Boyle also went the distance.