Title glory for two Falkirk Tennis Club teams

It was a second straight title for the men’s firsts, who - under captain and coach Tim Goldie – excelled with a squad comprising Ross Marshall, Alex Grant, Rory Bale, Andy Clark and Toby King.

With Alan Gibson and Calum Lloyd also helping out, they soared to overall victory by losing only one match all season.

Meanwhile, after Livilands Stirling had taken the over-55s title for the previous two years, Falkirk’s representatives were back on top this season.

Adding new team member Lex Miller saw captain Brian Marshall, 81, take more of a back seat by playing fewer matches and taking on more of a supervisory role.

Other players included in this squad were Robbie Sinclair, Ian Kirkwood, Neil Ferrie, Paula Goldie, Teresa Bryant, Jane Crichton and Mary Elliot.

Among Falkirk’s other squads, the men’s seconds team – led by club veteran Bob Wilkie – were relegated back into the second division having been promoted as champions last year. Wilkie has announced his plans to retire as captain for the 2025 season.

The men’s thirds team – under new captain Alan Hendrie - and the fourths team led by Gus Beattie, maintained their positions in the league tables.

The ladies firsts, under captain and coach Olivia Smart, missed out on winning division 1 but jumped up to second position in the table only behind Dunblane.

The ladies seconds, captained by Paula Goldie, lost long term member Margie Stephenson – who relocated to East Linton – but gained fresh blood in new club and team member Carla Waller.

With the over-45 Ladies matches still going until the end of August, Falkirk can be proud of all their players this season.

The club’s new head coach Mark Christie has helped co-ordinate a variety of activities throughout the summer months, including the return of popular holiday camps for juniors aged four to 18, running from August 5 to 9.

The other events include an under-nines tournament on July 21; team challenge events open to players aged four to nine and 10 to 16 on July 27 and August 3; family doubles on August 10; friendly matches and internal leagues.

Book online at https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/FalkirkLTC/Coaching or https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/MarkChristieTennisCoaching

The club championship is running throughout July and August, with junior finals day on September 1 and adult finals day on September 8.

Various events run as part of club championships, nine junior and eight senior, including singles, doubles, mixed doubles and the child and parent red ball event.

Club championships are seen as being a great way for Falkirk members and their families to come together, watch some great tennis and enjoy a much-anticipated barbeque and home baking.

A club spokesman added: “This year we would love to see more ladies and girls enter the events as numbers of entries are normally quite low.”