Speyside sports enthusiasts have been left dismayed after tennis ace Andy Murray’s mum cancelled a visit to a village club at the last minute to deal with a land wrangle.
Members of Rothes Tennis Club were delighted earlier this week when they learned that Judy Murray would make an appearance at their local courts to help promote a new scheme today.
But yesterday, as they were laying plans for the arrival of their VIP guest, they learned that an “unavoidable” conflict meant that Mrs Murray would have to cancel the trip.
The 56-year-old has been summoned for cross-examination as part of a public inquiry into contentious plans she and golf legend Colin Montgomerie have tabled for a £70million sports centre near Dunblane.
She will argue in favour of the proposal, which was knocked back by local councillors last year.
The secretary of Rothes Tennis Club, Hamish McBain, said he understood that circumstances had prevented Mrs Murray from visiting the Moray village – but said the hopes of young members had been dashed by the late change of plan.
Mr McBain said: “Even as late on as Monday we were told that Judy Murray would definitely be coming, I told everyone about it and there was a lot of excitement.
“We have 115 members, which is a lot for a small village club, with our youngest being aged four.
“We had 24 kids and parents ready for meeting her, and their expectations were through the roof – but they are now feeling very deflated.”
Mrs Murray was due to visit the courts in Rothes to discuss the Tennis on the Road programme, which aims to improve Scotland’s coaching workforce by offering would-be trainers some tips on how to bring the best out in young players.
Much of the content is based on the types of games and skill-building activities that Andy and Jamie Murray played as they honed their abilities as children.
A spokeswoman for the celebrity added: “Unfortunately, Judy Murray was unable to attend the Tennis on the Road day in Moray as she was unexpectedly called as a witness for the Park of Keir inquiry.
“Judy and the team look forward to re-visiting the area soon.”
