Travers and Black going for gold at the European Senior Championships
Dan Travers and Christine Black will be hoping to strike Spanish gold for Scotland when the European Senior Championships get underway in Guadalajara next week.
The pair are second seeds in the 60+ mixed doubles and will be hoping to improve on the silver medal they won at last year’s World Senior Championships.
To take the next step up on the podium they will have to overcome top seeded English duo Ian Purton and Christine Crossley, the pair who beat them to gold in last year’s world event when Travers had to retire due to injury whilst trailing 21-15 5-3 in the final.
But they will be optimistic about upsetting the seeding having beaten Purton and Crossley earlier this year in the Scotland v England Robert McCoig International Match.
Travers is also seeded second in the men’s doubles, partnering Rob Ridder of the Netherlands, and starts as favourite in the singles where he will aim to add to an already impressive medal haul which includes gold at last year’s World Senior Championships.
Black partners Ridders wife Marjan in women’s doubles where they are top seeds and will be aiming to retain their 2016 title, whilst Black is also joint 3/4 seed in the women’s singles.
Looking forward to next week, Black said: “Playing three events is always a challenge but I have two great partners in doubles and mixed therefore the aim is to medal.
“The ideal is to win gold.”
Travers continued: “I’m just looking to play well and enjoy it!
“We hope we can all bring something back home as we have a bigger team than usual with some other Scottish players taking part.
“We hope to enjoy the event and make it a success so that more and more Scottish players take part in the future.
“The entry is superb and it is great that so many veterans are taking part.”
Travers and Black will not be the only Scots hoping to make an impact when the event gets underway on 24 September.
Sam Campbell will also be in action in the 60+ category in men’s singles and doubles, partnering Ireland’s Brian McKee, and in the 40+ age group Mark MacKay is one of the 5/8 seeds in both the men’s singles and the doubles, where he partners Marjan Vugrinec of Croatia.
MacKay also goes in the mixed doubles with Esther Fleurbaaij of the Netherlands while Vilas Nair will play men’s singles and doubles with Italy’s Luca Novara.
Gavin Blyth and Martin Sheach play men’s doubles at 45+ and Sheach will also partner Sweden’s Maria Jonsson in mixed doubles.
At 55+ Ross Gladwin is seeded 9/16 in men’s singles and 5/8 in men’s doubles with Martin Staden of England.
Gladwin also plays mixed with his sister Jill, who teams up with Dane Mona Ahlsten in women’s doubles.
Leslie Frame rounds off the Scottish contingent, playing 75+ men’s singles and 70+ men’s doubles with Swede Knut-Olof Akesson.
Draws and schedules are at www.tournamentsoftware.com