Inverness duo called up to Scotland squad for European Squash Championships in Netherlands
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TWO Inverness raised squash talents are celebrating first dream call-ups to the Scottish national senior squad.
Heriot-Watt University students Martin Ross (26) and Alasdair Prott (20) will join a team of six heading to the European Championships in Holland.
Also travelling for the event taking place between April 27-30 in Eindhoven are leading Scottish ranking competitors Alan Clyne, from Munlochy, and North Kessock’s Greg Lobban. Rory Stewart and Fergus Richards complete the line-up.
Scotland have landed a tough group featuring Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic.
Ross is currently completing a PhD in robotics which involves creating the world’s first robotic squash coach, designed to enable young aspiring players to complete more hours’ training on top of human coaching.
The call-up was massive to his own sporting ambitions.
“To get this call has been my goal really since I was 12 or 13 and first knew about squash as a professional sport and career,” Ross said.
“Ever since, I’ve felt that to be selected for my country at senior level would be something incredibly special. When I took the call from Paul Bell, the national coach, it was just amazing. I was a little bit speechless.”
Both players relish the team aspect of international action.
“There is very much a team vibe and spirit already within the group as we train together at Oriam, Scotland’s national sports performance centre,” Ross said.
“That’s something other countries don’t have so much. It is something I love doing as I discovered while playing for my university in the British University championships.”
Prott, a biological sciences third year undergraduate, was just as thrilled.
“Everyone dreams of playing for their country, whatever sport they take part in,” he said.
“Luckily, that’s been a big part of my junior career and I’m really excited and honoured to get the senior team call-up. It has taken huge dedication in training from both me and Martin and it is just really nice to see it all pay off.
“It will be a really high standard at the championships and any game time I get, whether in the groups or the play-offs, will be fantastic.
“I hope to be able to take a lot of learning from it all. The team dynamic brings a little bit of extra tension and pressure, but I think a lot of us enjoy and respond to that.”
