England double as Scots gain podium finish
By Alan Thatcher, Squash Mad Editor
England clinched double success with victories in the mens and women’s events at the European Team Championships, but Scotland achieved their best recent finish of third place in the men’s event.
England beat France in both finals, but Scotland hit the headlines by beating Germany to claim third place. Having won the event in 1992, gaining bronze in 1994 and silver in 1999, it was their best finish in 17 years.
The results followed the winning return of Scotland’s women’s team to the recent European Teams Third Division and provides an instant yardstick to measure the contribution of the new coaching team of Martin Heath and Paul Bell.
A delighted Alan Clyne, the Scottish number one, said: “This is a fantastic result for us all. The teamwork has been great – we feel that we train well together and we compete well together. This has been our goal for a number of years and we have finally got onto the podium and been rewarded with a medal. A great achievement for squash in Scotland.”
Heath added: “I am delighted for both the women’s team in winning their division and now the men getting bronze after giving England a good run in the semis. The guys really earnt this over the past five years through the work they did and the near misses they had.
“At this early stage the contribution we made as coaches was in providing a positive perspective and instilling confidence and the belief that everything is possible. Hopefully we can use this as momentum to make a big difference in their games and to stimulate a positive era for Scottish Squash.”