Highland squash pair Greg Lobban and Alan Clyne are among a bumper selection of north athletes selected by Team Scotland.
The latest raft of picks for the Commonwealth Games were made by Team Scotland on Wednesday, across squash, boxing, judo, netball, badminton, power-lifting and triathlon.
As well as Lobban and Clyne, Turriff’s Claire Maxwell and Orkney’s Sarah MacPhail have been called up for the Team Scotland netball squad.
Malin Wilson, who comes from Ullapool but is based in Madrid, has been called into the judo team, while Moray Road Runners duo Cameron Main and Sophia Green will compete in the triathlon.
Lobban, who grew up in North Kessock, is heading to his third Games and still feels the same buzz as when he first got selected eight years ago.
“It was a different qualification period this time but I’d say the excitement is still the same,” said Lobban. “We had one selection event and had quite a big build-up to it.
“Thankfully because we did well at the World Doubles Championship, I knew that I’d probably done enough to deserve selection. There’s certainly a buzz about the place at the moment.
“I’ve learned now that I’ve been around for a few years that you go through highs and lows with your career. You go through periods of playing well but not feeling confident in your game.
“Four years ago I still felt confident and was happy with my squash and now I certainly feel better than I did a year ago. I’m happy the Games has fallen when it has, when I’m feeling confident about myself and about my game.”
Team Scotland talent heading to Commonwealth Games
His fellow Black Isler Clyne is among the most experienced players in the squad, heading to his fourth Commonwealth Games.
He first pulled on a Scotland jersey in Delhi 12 years ago and represented his country at the Games in 2014 and 2018. Clyne will play the singles and men’s doubles with Dougie Kempsell.
“It’s really exciting because it wasn’t a definite (I would be selected),” said Clyne. “We have a pretty strong team and only four spots for selection, so we did well to get to the two extra spots.
“We’ve proven with our results in the World Doubles that we’ve got a strong enough team for six spots, but it was always tight whether we were going to get them.
“Because of the pandemic there hasn’t been too many opportunities to play doubles. The World Doubles in Glasgow was the last part of the selection window, so it was all on that event. We came out with a silver and two bronzes, which was a great result but there was a lot of pressure on that one.”
Maxwell is another going to her third Games, having been part of Team Scotland in 2014 and 2018. The former Turriff Academy pupil captained the side in the Gold Coast and the World Cup in 2019 and returned to competitive action this year, after giving birth to daughter Lucy in 2021.
She is joined in the team by MacPhail, who is originally from Kirkwall in Orkney and the two play in the Netball Superleague for Strathclyde Sirens.
Wilson will fight in the 57kg for Team Scotland’s judo squad. The 27-year-old trained in Invergordon and Inverness before moving to Edinburgh and then Spain to further her judo career. She picked up two silver medals at European events in Dubrovnik and Malaga last year.
Main, from Elgin, represented Great Britain at the under-23 European and World Championships and Elite European Championships in 2021. He trains in Loughborough and was brought on to the Commonwealth Games squad for the 2021-22 season.
Green, also from Elgin, has been studying at the University of Stirling and was selected as a reserve for the Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.
