Kilmarnock Volleyball Club are celebrating the success of five of their junior players after they were selected to represent Scotland (West) at the UK School Games in Cardiff.

The five; Mark Lawson (15), Alistair Green (16), Euan Duncan (17), Grant Young (17) and Calum Bryson (16) were a major part of the squad who were narrowly beaten by England (Central) by 2 sets to 1 in the final of the event at the weekend.

Kilmarnock VC head coach Stuart Edgar was delighted with the youngsters though saying “There is a lot of talent in the West of Scotland so it was a great achievement for the boys to get selected for the squad in the first place.  Obviously they are disappointed to have lost out in the final but they will take a lot of positives from the experience.”

Mark Lawson who is a 4th year pupil at Grange Academy was the youngest member of the squad and he relished the opportunity to compete against opponents from all over the UK saying “It was great to see how I compare with players from around the UK.  It is disappointing that we came up short in the final but hopefully next year we will be able to make up for it.”

Mark Lawson

After a successful tournament, Alistair Green of Kilmaurs has further cause to celebrate after being selected to join the GB development squad for volleyball in Sheffield.  He is one of only two Scots to be given this opportunity which gives him an excellent chance to represent Team GB at the 2012 Olympics.

Alistair will combine his schooling in Sheffield with a full time training programme in an attempt to make the grade for 2012 and he is clearly excited about the opportunity saying “I can’t wait to get started; it is such a great opportunity to compete against some of the best players in Great Britain. I am obviously sad to be leaving Kilmarnock though as without the support of everyone at the club I could not possibly have achieved this.” 

Gordon Welsh, Director of Volleyball at Kilmarnock VC, is optimistic about Alistair’s chances saying “He is a very talented athlete who, if he continues to work hard, could be in contention.  This is a great opportunity for him and although we are sorry to be losing him it is a positive for the club; being able to produce players of this quality shows what a centre of excellence Kilmarnock Volleyball Club is.”

Stuart Edgar

Head Coach, KVC