Linlithgow's Colin Fleming and Wimbledon's Ross Hutchins, seeded second, lost 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 to Scott Lipsky (USA) and Santiago Gonzalez (Mexico), seeded third in the final of the Hall of Fame Championships at Newport, Rhode Island, writes Lorin McDougall. They had beaten Dominic Inglot (England) and Treat Huey (Philippines) 7-5, 6-3 in the semi-finals of the American grasscourt event.
n Anna Brogan, the Glasgow 14-year-old, won the battle of the Scottish juniors in the final of the ITF 18 & Under AEGON Junior International Edinburgh, defeating Edinburgh's Anastasia Mikheeva 6-0, 6-1 in the final. Brogan, seeded third, did not drop a set all week while 13-year-old Mikheeva continued from where she left off at the Scottish Junior Open Championships the week before, where she had picked up both the girls' 16&U and 18&U titles. Although well beaten, she could be encouraged by reaching the final in her first ITF 18&U event. It was Brogan's first ITF title of 201; she was runner-up at the Vasteras Junior event in Sweden in January. In the boy's 18&U final, the top seed, Clay Crawford from Leeds, beat Lewis Roskilly, the sixth seed from Letchworth, 6-3, 6-3.
golf
Ross Kellett, the Scottish rookie, was celebrating yesterday after scoring his first win as a professional when he won the Montecchia Open, on the Alps Tour, in Italy, writes Colin Farquharson. The Motherwell-based 24-year-old had scores of 63, 70 and 68 for 12-under 201 to win by two shots from the Italian rookie Niccolo Quintarelli.
Kellett made all the running in the 54-hole event, birdieing six of his last seven holes in the first round for an inward half of 30 which put him in the lead for keeps. He had a two-stroke advantage going into the final round but insisted that he had no felt under pressure. "I know I can compete at this level and this proves it," he said.
He had only one birdie on the outward half but was still two shots clear of the field with nine holes to play and clinched the win with further birdies at the 10th and 15th. The first prize of €5800 boosted his winnings from 11 events to €16,107.
It was his fifth top-10 finish and he was the second Scot to win on the Alps Tour this year, following the victory for Aberdeen's David Law in Morocco. Kellett added: "Thursday felt easy as I putted the best I ever have, Friday was solid enough and, in the final round, I played very solid, hitting 15 greens in regulation, which took the pressure off me. I had only three bogeys over 54 holes all week."
n Edinburgh's James Ross, on summer holidays from US college, won the Sutherland Chalice by a single shot in a tight finish to the SGU Order of Merit 72-hole event at Dumfries & Galloway yesterday, writes Colin Farquharson. The Royal Burgess member shot 70, 68, 68, 70 for a four-under-par total of 270. Runner-up was Downfield's Ross Bell who would have won but for a four-over 74 in the final round. His earlier scores of 67, 67 and 69 had made him favourite for the £500 first prize voucher with a round to go. Instead, he came up one stroke short of forcing a play-off with Ross.
shinty
Robbie MacLeod, the Kyles wing centre, believes the Tighnabruaich side can lift the Camanachd Cup this year after booking their place in the last four, writes Kenneth Stephen. Norman Macdonald's men avoided travel weariness by going to Portree on Friday ahead of Saturday's quarter-final with Skye and the preparation paid off as the top-flight outfit recorded a 5-2 victory against the 1990 winners to secure a place in this week's draw.
Kyles missed out in last year's final by a whisker but MacLeod reckons the side can go one better this year. "We are joint top of the Premiership and we are in the last four of the Camanachd Cup. Can we do it? I think we can. We were missing players at the start of the season but we have got most of them back now."
Roddy MacDonald, John Whyte, Thomas Whyte, Dunkie Kerr and the veteran Fraser MacDonald scored Kyles' goals with Iain Nicholson and Jordan Murchison replying for Skye.
Inveraray are in the last four after beating Kilmallie 3-2 in Lochaber while Kinlochshiel are also semi-finalists after beating Lovat 3-1.
speedway
Unfancied Berwick Bandits won the Premier League Fours title for the first time in 10 years at Peterborough yesterday, writes Nigel Duncan.
Bandits, third bottom of the Premier League, collected 23 points in the final to edge out Leicester Lions, second in the league, who scored 20 points. Third were Workington Comets, fifth in the league, with 16 points and Plymouth Devils, second-bottom of the league, were fourth on 13 points. The win was all the more remarkable as the side let slip a 12-point lead to lose 47-46 at home to Sheffield Tigers in the league on Saturday night.
At Peterborough, the Swede Seb Alden led the way with three straight wins in the final. His nine points were backed up by No.1 rider Ricky Ashworth who had eight from two wins and a second place. The Frenchman David Bellego collected five points and the captain Lee Complin one.
Rae said: "We went in a positive frame of mind as Peterborough is a fast track like Berwick, and we pulled it off." Berwick had topped their qualifying group with 16 points and advanced with Plymouth Devils. Glasgow Tigers, aiming to add the Fours to the Premier League Pairs title, were ousted by Workington and Leicester.
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