East tennis men will give a debut to 16-year-old Chenming Dong when they seek to extend their run in Division One of the British inter county (summer) cup at Eastbourne this week (starts Monday).
Chenming is one of the rising stars of local tennis who recently pushed top seed and eventual winner Ewan Moore all the way in the East of Scotland men’s Open. Also, this member of the Merchiston Castle tennis academy group is a former winner of the Play Your Way to Wimbledon under-14 event
the other end of the scale evergreen colleague Alan Macdonald competes having first tasted county week action in 1995. Then the East were in Division Five.
That just illustrates what a long way the East men have come with Alan noting: “Of the six teams in Group One we have been there the longest since entering the top group in 2019 and while we haven’t won the title we have been in the conversation in the past few years.”
The absence of Jacob Fearnley, who is playing on the Challenger tour in Michigan and current US College student Matt Rankin is obviously not to be underestimated. But the squad remains packed with experience including Scott Duncan and James Mackinlay who have recently partnered each other on the pro doubles circuit.
Equally experienced are the East women who head for Division Three at Raynes Park, SW London, on the back of successive promotions.
The only newcomer if Braid’s Grace O’Reilly, originally from Ireland but resident in Scotland via a Stirling University course for the past four years.
Stalwart Mhairi Beattie says: “It may seem realistic that our target is to consolidate our place in the higher group, But things change elsewhere year to year. You just never know…”
Much might depend on the youthful Thistle club pairing of Hanna Augustynska and Aadya Chadalawada while captain Ama Nisbet and Maisie Wood have been playing their tennis in London this season.
East men – Scott Duncan, James Mackinlay, Alan Macdonald, Lance Nisbet, Sam Macneill, Chenming Dong, Rhys Watters, Euan McIntosh (captain). Opponents – Surrey, Warwickshire, Northants, Middlesex and Cambridgeshire.
East women – Ama Nisbet, Mhairi Beattie, Sarah McFadyen, Maisie Wood, Evas Vrhunec, Grace O’Reilly, Aadya Chadalawada, Hanna Augustynska. Opponents – Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Berkshire and Warwickshire.
