Squash: Scotland�s Alan Clyne has followed in famous footsteps by winning his first Professional Squash Association Tour title in the United States.

Scotland's Alan Clyne has followed in famous footsteps by winning his first Professional Squash Association Tour title in the United States.

On his debut as a full-time professional, the 22-year-old scored an upset win in the Charleston Challenge in Virginia and can now look forward to a significant bounce up the world rankings.

Currently ranked No.142, Clyne was seeded No.6 but romped through the early rounds and saved his best for last, beating the No.1-seeded Englishman Jon Harford 11-9, 8-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-3 in a highly entertaining final that tilted one way and then another.

"It was a really tough match and, at the end, I had really heavy and tired legs," admitted Clyne, who comes from Munlochy on the Black Isle and is an honorary member of Inverness Squash Club. "I had to dig very, very deep. But it was a great final and it was nice to play in front of a big crowd instead of my usual audience of about two men and a dog."

Harford, a 25-year-old from Leeds, is ranked No.62 in the world, and he graciously heaped praise on Clyne. "It was a great match, and Alan kept the pace up and was effective with everything he did. He was like the Energizer bunny," said the Englishman.

Clyne, who graduated in physical education from Edinburgh University this summer, is a relatively late starter to the full-time circuit, but recently showed great form by helping Britain claim a surprise silver medal at the World University Championships in Cairo in Egypt last month.

He can certainly take extra motivation from beginning his winning ways in the States. It was 16 years ago that a teen-ager from Inverurie named Peter Nicol headed to America and won a string of minor events. It gave the youngster huge confidence, and proved to be the launching pad for a career that led to a long spell as the world No.1, world and British Open titles, Commonwealth Games gold medals.

From a Scottish viewpoint, the one blight on Nicol's squash record was his defection to England back in 2001.

For Clyne, the only disappointment yesterday was the news that Hurricane Ike has wiped out his second tournament in the US, this week's Houston Open, although it could be re-scheduled for later in the season.

Instead, Clyne will prepare for this month's Scottish trials for the world doubles cham-pionships in Chennai in India in December.