Finlay serves up a game to remember at Scottish Squash National Finals!

Orkney squash player Finlay Scott served up a game to remember at the weekend – reaching the final of the under 23 Scottish nationals. 

It was a very closely fought 3-1 loss for Finlay – who came second to Rory Richmond. Finlay beat the Scotland number two seed 3-0 to get to the final which was hosted by the Scottish Squash Rackets Club in Glasgow. 

Finlay is a Performance Development Programme (PDP) athlete – a scheme run through Orkney Islands Council (OIC) and sportscotland. Through the programme support is given to athletes on the performance pathway which includes physical preparation, performance lifestyle support, nutrition support and physio guidance. Finlay also receives support through the OIC, sportscotland and Stagecoach supported Athlete Travel Award Scheme to help with travel costs. 

Finlay was delighted with how the event went. He said: “I’m absolutely delighted with how I played at the weekend to achieve second at the under 23 Scottish nationals. I feel like I’m definitely playing some of my best squash at the minute and going into this tournament with confidence was a key factor in me playing well. 

“I was really happy to have overcome the number 2 seed with a big win in the semis, considering he plays almost full time down in Edinburgh and played in the Scotland senior team last year. In the final I felt it really could’ve gone either way, with both of us playing really well, but Rory proved to be better on the day to pull through in the last two games.” 

Finlay is grateful for the support of the schemes which both enable him to compete at a national level. 

“Being a PDP athlete and having the additional support that comes hand in hand with that is a huge help to me as an athlete and competitor. Similarly, without the support of the ATAS, I would not be able to have attended as many events and competitions as I have. Both continue to play a part in my success. 

“I’ve also been lucky enough to be supported by Kirkwall Squash and Racketball Club, the Pickaquoy Centre and my family, this sort of support really helps to ensure that I am able to use the best facilities possible and it means I never miss out on any important events.” 

Finlay was inspired to take up the sport following an open day at the squash courts when they had newly been opened at the Pickaquoy Centre. 

“I was at a football competition representing the Orkney football team in the under 11s age group and a lot of the boys said they were going along so I decided to go too. The rest is history!” 

Orkney Islands Council is extremely grateful to have the ongoing support of sportscotland and Stagecoach. 

Picture shows Finlay on the right. Courtesy of Scottish Squash.