THE Murray's hame. That is the new name of the 18th hole at Dunblane Golf Club, upgraded from plain 'Hame' last night in honour of the town's most famous family. While it is Andy who hogs most of the headlines, yesterday it was the turn of big brother Jamie Murray - the family's best golfer - to be the No 1 attraction. As the world's top doubles player showed the Davis Cup off around his old neighbourhood, it was easy to forget that in his late teenage years, when he returned from an LTA-sponsored boarding school in Cambridge unsure whether he would have a future in tennis, he thrashed around this course often enough for his handicap to drop to three.
It is all change now, though, judging by the fact everybody wanted a piece of this unassuming 30-year-old yesterday. Starstruck pupils at the two schools he attended as a child - Dunblane Primary and Dunblane High School - savoured a celebrity in their midst, with one wee girl inquiring if it was 'the real Jamie Murray' who was coming to see them.
Indeed it was. Twenty years on from the trauma of the Dunblane school massacre, this real-life everyday hero who now has an SW19 postcode, and spends the world trotting the globe as one of the biggest hitters on the doubles tour. No wonder queues patiently formed on the main road as he hit with local youngsters and conducted a Q and A at Dunblane tennis club.
The weather wasn't particularly co-operative - it was chilly, windy and there was an odd smattering of snow - but even that couldn't rain on Jamie's parade. Indeed, it was typical of the homespun nature of the occasion that Jamie's granny Shirley should spend the day indoors, cheerfully dispensing cups of tea.
"It's true, I've become a southern softie," said Jamie, attempting to stop his eyes from streaming and teeth chattering. "Nah, it has been cool. We had fun at the high school this morning, we did a bit of a Q and A. Then we did some of mum's tennis on the road sessions and it was good fun at the primary school, they were pretty fired up and had some funny questions. It has been nice to see so many people come out to see the trophy and see me I guess, and it is nice to be back in Dunblane. I always miss it, I get back two or three times a year but it is never for very long."
The Murrays are part of the physical landscape of Dunblane already and could be more ubiquitously so in the event that the Scottish Government decides that to overrule local authority refusal on plans for a tennis centre and Murray museum at nearby Park of Keir. "She should have her club, or her centre," said Jamie, "if we want to try to make the most of what we have been doing on the court, especially Andy."
But what Jamie really wants is a gold postbox to go with that of his brother. And if that is to happen, these two boys who honed their skills on these tidy, spartan little courts - and will appear together in an exhibition event at the Hydro in September - will have to do it together.
While the presence of that oversized trophy illustrates what a formidable force they can be in each other's company - they have never lost a doubles rubber in Davis Cup play - that midas touch has yet to translate to the Olympics. Andy may be reigning singles champion and a mixed doubles silver medalist but as a pairing they won one match in Beijing and none in London.
Rio, though, promises so much more. Not only is Andy No 2 in singles, Jamie is now No 1 in doubles, winning his maiden major men's doubles title at the Australian Open in January. They have respected doubles coach Louis Cayer in their corner, although one fly in the ointment, on home turf, could be his partner Bruno Soares and Marcelo Melo, another of the world's top doubles exponents.
"I am going to Madrid next week then Rome then the French Open then Wimbledon then Davis Cup," said Jamie. "So there are a lot of big events before we get there. I will be trying to do my best in all of them then focusing on the Olympics when I get there. But of course I want to make sure when I get to Rio I am feeling good with my game."
"The boys live elsewhere and travel the world but this is still home for them, very much so," said a proud mother, Judy. "I was quite emotional this morning. You walk into the high school and enter Murray Hall, a tribute to the boys. This is why we are coming back to the two schools Jamie attended because there is very much a bond there. Jamie is an elite sportsman, No 1 in the world, but he loves these sort of sessions because they are about sport in the community.
"It is incredible going back to the tennis club," she added. "The memories always flood back. I just remember them as two little boys having fun, hitting balls. It is very difficult to take in that they are both grand slam winners and have just won the Davis Cup."
Blane Dodds, chairman of Tennis Scotland, said he was determined to harness days like these. "This shows the power of the Murray brand," he said. "We have huge Scottish role models and children want to play the game. We have to do everything to make sure they have the chance to do so."
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