HELENSBURGH Tennis Club’s ladies’ first team picked up their first win of the season after beating local rivals Cardross 7-2.

After a short car journey and a warm welcome from their hosts, Liz Wylie and Catherine Court at first couple set the tone, winning the first two sets 6-2, 6-3 – though the Cardross pair of Carolyn Turk and Caroline McDaid battled hard to win the third set 6-1.

Suzanne Marshall and Anna Scullion, at second couple for Helensburgh, proved too strong for Lona Brown and Katie Mitchell, winning all three sets.

Hosts Mhairi Stevenson and Rona Foster were unlucky not to take the opening set, just losing it 4-6 to the Helensburgh pair of Sue Macrae and Sue McKichen, who went on the take the next set 6-2.

Mhairi and Rona never gave up and snatched the final set 6-2, though their efforts weren’t enough to prevent a comfortable overall win for Helensburgh.

And just 24 hours later the team followed up their Cardross victory with another away win, this time against Hamilton.

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Catherine and Liz had to battle hard to a 7-5, 6-2, 7-6(4) win, while Suzanne and Anna won 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 and Sue Macrae and Mandy Allan won their game by two sets to one.

Helensburgh’s over-60s men were also in winning form at home to Strathgryffe, with Bill Ram and Alastair hope cruising to a 3-0 win at first couple while Iain MacLaren and Keith Hope battled to a 2-1 win after two tie-break sets, with Iain nursing an ankle injury in the last; the win leaves the team second in their division with three wins and a draw and a match in hand.

The ladies’ 60-plus first team had a great 4-2 win away at Langside, with Jackie Hunter and Val Pace at second couple winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, though Mary Allan and Janette Howieson at first couple had a harder time, losing by two sets to one.

The Helensburgh ladies’ 60-plus second team fell to a 4-2 defeat against Titwood in their latest match: Ann McKelvie and Elaine Clancy came back from losing the opening set to take the next two 6-3, 6-3, but Fiona MacLaren and Angie Wright found their opposition very difficult to break down and lost all three sets.

- Helensburgh’s gents’ fourth team defeated Kilmacolm 5-4 in a very long match, with the final set for third couple Clive Charters and Ralph Ward lasting almost an hour; the pair were 4-1 down but came back to win it in the tie break.

Finally this week, the men’s first team had a comfortable 7-2 win away at Newlands.