The beach volleyball tour has started and the season is in full swing.
After a warm-up in Troon two weeks ago, where we came second, the team headed to Edinburgh's Portobello beach for the third leg of the Scottish Tour. While the weather forecast didn't look very promising, most of the day was actually quite sunny, with little wind. After a rocky start in the first match against International Jets, the final result of which will be sent off into oblivion, we quickly gathered our wits and won the second match against "normal" Jets in two straight sets. Noon time saw a famous middle hitter wander off, so that we were left with three players, but Jean's charm and Rodger's impressive hits wide out into the crystal clear Forth waters convinced a stray Perth player to join our ranks. The second round of the qualifiers were straight wins against both International and "normal" Jets, and the point count pushed us into second place for the semifinal against an Edinburgh teachers team (or so rumour has it). The semifinal match clearly demonstrated that we had adjusted to sand conditions, with nice long ralleys, lots of scrambling, and the full range of blocks, digs and hits, and so we faced International Jets once more in the final. The closely fought match left us a set behind, when tiredness kicked in, but we recruited all residual strength we could find (Red Bull had run out by that point...) and we came back, winning the second set. The tie break was even closer, with both teams alternating one point leads, and it was Rodger's spike coming off Jean's set that won us the set at 21:19 along with pineapples and medals.
The Team:  
Jean Bruce
Nina Bauer
Rodger Baillie
Martin Beaton (subbed at noon by Jamie Salvin, Perth)