A roundup of my week

Well I dont feel that great today. Annoying really as I am rarely ill. However nothing that can't be cured by a day in the house with a box of chocolate fingers! Anyway it means I have time to write a bit of a blog and let you know what's been going on. 
 
At the weekend I popped into Scotstoun Leisure Centre in Glasgow to watch a bit of the Four Nations tennis event. That's where Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales compete in 4 age categories - senior, 18U, 14U and 12U - over a 3.5 day period.

It's a fabulous event, particularly for Scotland and Wales as there are few opportunities to represent our countries as neither of us exists as a nation in ITF tennis terms. For that to change we would need to have our own governments. We can take part in Commonwealth Games (not an ITF event) if tennis is among the nominated sports (that is decided by the host country) but apart from that, the annual 4 nations is the only international fixture.

It's so good for the 12s and 14s to mix with the older juniors and the seniors and the team atmosphere - I witnessed a huddle amongst the Scots before the start of play on Saturday - makes a pleasant change from trekking to the tourneys with your folks! Wish there were more opportunities for players - junior and senior - to compete as teams. It's more fun, develops sense of belonging and for sure would keep players of all ages in the game for longer.
 
A couple of interesting things while I was there; I watched Mhairi Brown, a 27 year old coach/fitness trainer beating  world No. 735 Liz Thomas in three sets. Talk about a competitor. Here is a girl who plays a handful of competitive singles a year and whose last match was in group 6 at County Week at the end of July. Drafted in to play for Scotland and comes out with a win over a full-timer. Amazing. After losing the first set, she realised she couldnt live with Thomas's pace from the back of the court, so she started to slice short and loop deep, mixed in with some serve and volley. She totally disrupted the rhythm of her opponent and ran out a 10-2 champions tie break winner. She called it "winning ugly". I called it "playing smart".
 
During the match she split her shoes at the toes and had to be taken to the nearby David Lloyd club sports shop to pick up a new pair. £85! And 4 days off work. Expensive cap!
 
At the end of the 3.5 days, Scotland and England had won 2 events each - Scotland the seniors and the 12s, England the 14s and 18s. But Scotland came out on top overall by a percentage of sets won to sets lost apparently.

 
Monday I was up at 4am to drive to Edinburgh to catch the 7am flight to Norwich. Jamie and I had a date with a new tennis centre in the city. Our day was due to start at 2pm but had to be rescheduled for 10.30am after Jamie won the ATP Challenger event in Amsterdam on Sunday and found he had to fly to Banja Luka in Bosnia from Heathrow on Monday night in order to make Tuesdays' opening match in the Challenger there at 4pm! Heathrow's a 3 hour drive from Norwich so the afternoon clinic had to be rejigged to the morning so that the official opening could go ahead from 1pm. Chaos.
 
It was a great day though. The centre is a £3.2m project funded by Easton College and the LTA. The facility has 8 indoor courts, 4 of which are in the best bubble I've ever seen. Wow. What a great facility. Even had a viewing gallery with tiered seating. Jamie and I were there as ambassadors for RBS and it was their guests and staff who attended the clinic.

It was good fun and we finished off with a couple of fun games. Firstly everyone had the chance to return Jamies serve. They had the option to say where they wanted the serve to land  - wide, T or body. Everyone who returned it in to the singles court won one of Jamies Fred Perry match shirts. There were a lot of fresh air shots but luckily no injuries :)

Then we played  a sponge ball 12 a side game - yes everyone on half court at the same time - where you are out if you make the shot that loses the point. Jamie was out first shot but we gave him an extra life and he managed to stay in to the end, partnering Pat to victory. Pat adds her name to the list of illustrious ladies who have partnered Jamie - Jelena Jankovic, Liezel Huber...and Pat. She won a Wimbledon towel and was loving it. That's what it's all about isnt it? having a lot of fun on court. We mustn't get so caught up in performance tennis and the desperation to produce champions that we lose sight of the importance of recreational tennis for players and coaches...

 
The opening was well organised by the centre staff, the College principal and Colin Stocker (RBS) and we joined in the mini tennis exhibition in red, orange and green with some cracking wee players before Jamie played a dubs set with 3 Norfolk county players.

There is a strong coaching team in place at the centre, led by Martin Smith who produced the likes of Chris Bailey, James Auckland and Richard Bloomfield, and several younger coaches plus an experienced tennis centre manager in Matt Breese. It's a challenge to fill 8 courts all day every day but the beauty of this set up is that Easton College will work with local schools and their own students to ensure they utilise the place during the day so that the junior and adult programmes can have the after-school slots! Perfect.
 
Finally I got home about 10pm and was so glad to have no work on Tuesday! Off to Liverpool on Thursday to do a primary school visit with Head UK so next installlment after that!