The bad news is that Scotland’s Jillie Cooper is on crutches. The good news is that she is set for a full season in harness with Marianna Agathangelou – the partnership that won last year’s Bank of Scotland International Championship.  

The Edinburgh 21-year-old felt a niggle in her foot during the Sudirman Cup in China in May, but it was only this month that it was diagnosed as a bone growth on her right little toe.

“I underwent an operation at the London Bridge hospital last week and it means I’m going to miss the Belgian Open at the start of next month,” said Jillie, hobbling around with her foot in a boot. “But I’m going to Largs next week to help out with a coaching course and I’ll be back playing in September.”

Cooper – one of Scotland’s bright hopes for the 2012 Olympic Games in London – is delighted that a period of GB experimentation with a few women’s doubles pairings has ended and that she can now look forward to a settled run with Marianna.

“It’s great,” she said. “Marianna and I did well after just a few training sessions together and we just really seemed to gel.” 

They are currently at No.39 n the world rankings and that can look forward to the European circuit tournaments and a serious bid to make their mark in the Super Series tournaments. 

“We will definitely be playing the French and Danish Opens and maybe even going to the Far East at the end of the year. But that trip clashes with the Bank of Scotland International in Glasgow, so I won’t really mind if we don’t go.”