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HIS - Scotland under 18 call up for Greg Lobban
Highland squash player, Greg Lobban's precocious talents have been recognised and rewarded. The 15 year old from North Kessock has been selected by Scottish Squash for the first Scotland v Wales Junior Test match at Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University this Saturday (19 Jan).
This will be the first edition of Scotland v Wales Junior Test matches and the event fills a gap left by the discontinuation of the U/17 and U/19 Home Internationals, which ended in 1999. said Scottish Squash National Performance Director, Paul Frank.
Matches will be notionally conducted at U/20 and U/18 age groups. Teams have been selected on results this season rather than simply age.
I've still got three years in this age group, said Greg, who has only just moved up to compete at under 17 level and has never previously competed at under 18 level. I was selected because I've been playing in the Mixed Grade tournaments all around Scotland and usually I'd finish in the top division.
Originally a tennis player who kept trim with squash in the off season at Inverness Tennis & Squash Club, Greg was invited to join the national junior programme, the Heriot-Watt Academy and the supporting Highland Institute of Sport just over a year ago.
The Highland Institute of Sport helps Scottish governing body-identified athletes by providing high performance expertise. The network's expert teams work together to deliver essential support services locally in sports medicine, sports science, strength and conditioning, and give career and lifestyle guidance.
Although the first year for any player at the U/17 level is a difficult one, Greg has acquitted himself well, applied himself to his training and enjoyed good success, said Paul Frank.
The Highland Institute of Sport has been instrumental in ensuring appropriate supervision for Greg's strength and conditioning work and this, in conjunction with on court experiences such as this coming weekend, is assisting Greg and Scottish Squash in putting together a solid foundation on and off court for this promising young player.
Added Greg, The Highland Institute has helped me with my strength on court, I go down to the Academy once a month and play against people the same standard as me or even better, so I've improved my game a lot.
Following this weekend's event, Greg will focus on the 17 and under national championships.
The nationals are just coming up and I'm aiming for the semis, if not the final of the under 17s, he said. This will be my first year in that age group and I'll also try and get selected for the under 17 European championships (I was in the under 15s last year) in Lyon, France.