Dougie Kempsell wants to make a habit of creating a stir. The Scottish Under-17 squash champion was part of the Scotland team that took everyone by surprise at last year’s European Championships in Spain.

For the first time, Scotland reached the final of a European competition before losing, predictably, to a strong England team.

But the Scottish junior game looks in rude health as an orderly queue is formed behind national number one Alan Clyne.

Clyne has shown a home-nurtured player can compete at the top level in the game and after the retirement of Scotland’s former world number one John White, who was reared in Australia and lives in America, and the defection of Peter Nicol to England.

Kempsell, who played for the Waverley club and is a member of the East of Scotland Institute of Sport, acknowledges that Clyne has provided the pathway for others to follow.

The teenager has already proved an ambassador for his sport when he attended a reception hosted by James Kelly MSP last month to promote the Scottish Sports Alliance’s “Manifesto for Sport in Scotland” and heard a keynote speech from Scottish Sports Minister Shona Robison.

Kempsell was chosen by the alliance to present a copy of the manifesto at a press conference a few days earlier to Liz Smith, the spokesperson for the Conservative Party.

The document urged the political parties to give Scotland a sporting chance and make sport high on their agenda for next year’s Scottish Parliamentary Election in the build-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Kempsell admits that, having been identified as a talented player at a young age, he has had access to decent facilities but appreciates that the net has to be spread wider to make the sport more inclusive.

"Squash-wise, we're really well catered for as we have great courts at Heriot-Watt University and there are also excellent gym facilities,” he points out.

“The Institute of Sport also gives me great back-up in terms of diet and fitness programmes and my mum is a physiotherapist, so that also helps.

"I started playing when I was eight at the Waverley club and have progressed through the ranks. There is a good tournament structure in Scotland and I’ve just worked my way up.

“The highlight has been playing in the European Under-17 Championships and winning a silver medal and 2010 is going to be an important year for me.

"The European team championships - at Under-19 level in May - is my main aim. I would like to get higher for Scotland and I'm trying to focus on getting my individual ranking up as it's obviously gone down since I moved into the higher age-group.

"At present, my training involves 60%  squash and 40 per cent working on my fitness. Fitness is very important at this stage and I have to spend time in the gym but I'm hitting a squash ball most days.

“Alan Clyne has been a big inspiration to me. He’s the player I look up to and he has shown what can be achieved through playing in Scotland.”

Kempsell is hoping that one day squash will finally win its battle to become an Olympic sport and there is growing pressure for it to be included.

"There's no doubt it should be in the Olympics as it's in the Commonwealth Games. It puzzles me that some other sports are in and squash isn't,” he concludes.

"It's maybe a facility thing or maybe if it was more popular in America, then it would help. It's strong in some parts of the country but not in others. It would be great to play for Great Britain at an Olympics one day.”

RM
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