Scotland went into the European Junior Championships in Milan with high hopes. But the team event ended in desperate disappointment with not one victory from the three matches. After close defeats from Sweden and Turkey, Ukraine won the final match with a whitewash.

The Scottish youngsters had opened with a 3-2 defeat from Sweden, and followed up by losing to Turkey by the same narrow margin. Scotland’s points against the Turks both came in the girls’ events. Kirsty Gilmour won the singles and Kirsten Geals partnered Kaity Hall to success in the doubles.

In the final match against the Ukraine, Scotland lost all five ties, with 15-year-old Kirsty, the Bank of Scotland under-19 Champion, the only player to go to three ends. She finally lost her proud unbeaten against Mariya Ulitana.

Steven Stewart lost the boys’ singles to Mykola Martynenko and the Bonhill teenager then joined Angus Gilmour in another straight games defeat in the doubles.  The loss ended the match as a contest and the Ukrainians went on to add the final two points.

Scotland will be aiming to make more of an impact in the individual championships, which take place over the next six days.

Edinburgh’s Martin Campbell, the Bank of Scotland under-19 Champion, is seeded in the singles and doubles – with Angus Gilmour – while Longniddry’s Paul Van Rietvelde and Glasgow’s Gillian Sloan are the No.2 seeds in the mixed doubles. 

Results:
Ukraine 5 Scotland 0
Boys’ singles: Mykola Martynenko bt Steven Stewart 21-11 25-23
Boys’ doubles: Mykola Dmytryshyn and Gennadiy Natarov bt Stewart and Angus Gilmour 21-19 21-15
Girls’ singles: Mariya Ulitana bt Kirsty Gilmour 21-12 14-21 21-17
Girls’ doubles: Ulitana and Natalya Voytsekh bt Kaity Hall and Kirsten Geals 30-28 21-15
Mixed doubles: Dmytryshyn and Yelyzaverta Zharka bt Gilmour and Gillian Sloan 21-9 21-19