HELENSBURGH’S ladies’ second team finished top of their division as the West of Scotland summer league campaign drew to a close.

Team captain Barbara Gillies praised her team for their fight and determination over the eight hard-fought matches which took them all over the greater Glasgow area.

Barbara herself came out on top as the player winning the most sets for the team, who will now take part in a play-off in late August for a place in division six.

The ladies’ first team will remain in the highly competitive division two for another season after securing enough sets over the course of their fixtures.

The men’s first team struggled to field their full team for most of the season, relying on second team players to fill places each week, but still managed to finish a very respectable fourth in their division.

Team captain Stephen Lewis thanked all his first team squad and the second team players who helped out for their commitment over the season.

The men’s second team had to wait until the final match of the season to ensure their place in division five for 2025.

They went into their match against Whitecraigs needing to win at least six sets to guarantee their place, with Bill Ram and David McCowan at first couple securing three sets and Keith Love and Harry Gould at third couple winning two.

At second couple, Alastair Hope and Bobby Kerr, who between them had won half of all the team’s sets during the course of the season, won their opening set but struggled in the second, finding themselves 3-5 down, before some inspiring play from Alastair saw them take the next four games to win the set 7-5.

Their final set was lost 4-6, but by then the team as a whole had secured enough sets for safety courtesy of a 7-2 overall win.

The men’s third team topped their division for most of the season, only to be overtaken in the last few weeks, though they still managed to finish in a respectable fourth place, while the men’s fourth team finished in sixth place.

Most teams rely on a core set of players, but the fourth team used a total of 14 different HLTC members over the season, which gives an opportunity for players to experience team tennis.

Team captain Clive Charters hopes more new junior players will be available next season to join in.

In the over-60s leagues, Helensburgh’s ladies’ and gents’ first and second teams managed to remain in their respective divisions.

The club is offering membership until 31 March 2025 for only £99. Visit the club’s website for more details (https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/HelensburghLTC/Membership/Join).