Scots progress in Portugal but Smith misses out on European Junior medal

Scots progress in Portugal but Smith misses out on European Junior medal

A number of Scots are going well at the 55^th Portuguese International, being held this week at Caldas da Rainha from 5-8 November but Callum Smith narrowly missed out on a medal at the European Junior Championships in Finland.

A superb 21-18 22-20 win over eighth seed Jacobo Fernandez propelled Smith into the quarter-finals and with no medal playoff scheduled for the losing semi-finalists, that left him just one win away from a guaranteed bronze medal.

Defeat to German fourth seed Matthias Kicklitz ended his hopes of silverware but the Scot can nevertheless be proud of his achievements in Finland.

Meanwhile, in Portugal a good day for Scotland on Thursday saw Ciar Pringle and Joshua Apiliga progress through men’s singles qualifying to reach the main draw but unfortunately that was as far as either player could get.

Pringle went out to a close 21-12 19-21 21-19 defeat by Joel Konig of Switzerland while French third seed Lucas Corve beat Apiliga 21-16 21-13.

In the women’s singles Lauren Middleton and Holly Newall both scored comfortable first round wins but both face tough matches against seeded opposition later tonight.

Three Scottish pairs are in the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles with third seeds Chris Grimley and Eleanor O’Donnell and fourth seeds Matt Grimley and Sarah Sidebottom both recording comfortable wins.

But Adam Pringle and Rachel Andrew scored an outstanding win over second seeds Emil Lauritzen and Iben Bergstein of Denmark, coming from behind to win 13-21 21-18 23-21, having battled through their first round match against home hopes Tomas Nero and Mariana Chang 22-20 21-13.

The young Scots showed some impressive resolve and composure in both matches, saving a game point in their opening round win and a match point in their victory over the second seeds to progress.

There is also Scottish interest in the men’s and women’s doubles, where the action is yet to get underway and top seeds Matt and Chris Grimley will be hoping to justify their billing as favourites by lifting the trophy on Sunday.

Full results at www.tournamentsoftware.com