It has been a genuinely happy new year for Gordon Hoggan. On court, he has racked up three singles titles – the Dunfermline and Glasgow Opens plus the Bank of Scotland Under-23 Championship. Off court, he also had cause for celebration when he became a proud Dad to Nathan in the middle of March. 

A leading junior, the fast maturing 22-year-old reckons he is now more than ready to make his mark at senior level. With the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow firmly on the agenda, he is not short of motivation. 

“This is definitely proving to be my best season to date. It’s been a big step up,” said Hoggan. “I’ve won three titles and finished runner-up at the Scottish Nationals and in the East of Scotland Open.  

“I gained my first selection for the Scottish squad at the European Championships in Amsterdam in February. Everything is going really well at the moment. 

“I put it down to hard work and help from my coach, Bruce Flockhart. Bruce (an eight time Scottish Champion) is a real inspiration and I couldn’t do it without him. Now I want to go on from here and start tackling the European circuit events.” 

Hoggan, from Dunfermline, retained the Bank of Scotland Under-23 title despite suffering from a sports hernia injury. He played in pain and with strapping over the delicate area but hopes to have the problem sorted out within the next few weeks and have his way cleared towards achieving even more success. 

Thanks to the successful run of results, Hoggan has been named as a Bank of Scotland Local Hero. The recognition means some much needed funding and he aims to use it wisely. 

“I’m going to go to some tournaments and Yvette (Yun Luo – the Scottish national Coach) has also said that Scotland will send me to some European badminton Union events. That’s definitely what I need – more funding and more playing opportunities,’ he said. 

At the Yonex Scottish National Championships at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth in February, Hoggan lost in the final to Kieran Merrilees, who is the Scottish No.1. But the confident Fifer reckons he is rapidly narrowing the gap on his Glasgow rival.  

“I really don’t feel that I am now too far behind Kieran,” he asserted.  “He plays full-time, goes to a lot of tournaments and trains six hours a day.  I’ve only been training about four hours a week.” 

But that could be about to change. He lost his job at the start of the year and now has far more time to spend on the practice court. He is also pleased to have some extra hours to concentrate on the new addition to the Hoggan family. 

“I wasn’t too worried about the job and it’s been great to have time off to look after Nathan,” Hoggan added. “He’s sleeping quite well and it’s great to be a Dad.” 

But he’s not sure he wants his son to follow in his footsteps. “I’m going to get him into tennis,” he joked. “Or at least a sport that makes a lot more money.” 

But he does hope that by the time Nathan is three years old he could be ready to watch Dad play on a major stage. “It would be absolutely brilliant to make the Scottish team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014,” he mused. 

“But there are a few more steps along the way. Next year, the target is the Thomas Cup and more Scottish squad selections. I really do want to take the next step up.” 

 

EB

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