Basketball
North and North-East teams are well represented in two Scottish squads which have just been announced, but the news will be received with mixed emotions in the Pearson household in Tain.
Tain Royal Academy have two basketball-playing Pearson brothers, Andrew (17) and Tom (15).
Tom has been named in coach John Grant's Scottish Under-16 team of 12 for the Troon Junior Invitation Tournament at Irvine beginning on Sunday.
However, his elder brother Andrew, who starred for the Scottish under-16 team in the Four Countries Championship the season before last, has been surprisingly omitted from coach Stuart Capaldi's Scottish under-18 15-man training squad.
But he has not given up hope of being added to the squad, who will have their first session on January 17 as they begin their preparation for the Four Countries Championship in Aberdeen from April 17 to 19.
Andrew, a 6ft 5in centre who plays for Inverness side atc Cosmetics in the Bank of Scotland Junior National League, is bitterly disappointed: ''I don't understand how the coach can leave me out when he has never seen me play a competitive match.''
The under-16 team meanwhile will have a rigourous test at Irvine against junior sides Greater London Leopards, Killester (Dublin), Barrow-in-Furness and the hosts, Troon.
The team is:
R Combe (Dalkeith Saints); J McLaverty (Boroughmuir); A Wallace, I Pyper (both Arbroath Musketeers); D Hannah, S Cheesman (both Denny); L Costello, J Neill (both Edinburgh Burger Kings); A Hughes, A Stewart (both Falkirk Fury); K Riddles (Aberdeen Buccaneers); T Pearson (atc Cosmetics).
Coach - J Grant (Arbroath Musketeers).
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