DOLLAR pupils were part of a tennis team that clinched a podium spot in the Scottish Inter-District Championships.

The Central team, under the guidance of coach Adam Brown and assistant coach Alessia Palmieri, finished third in the competition, following some hard-fought matches played over four days at Strathallan School.

The 18U team won the group defeating teams from the North East 6-0 and the Highlands 5-1.

Part of the team was Dollar Academy pupil Dugald MacKechnie along with Isaac King, Eilidh Davidson and Carys Gibb.

The 15U team, despite having to call up some last-minute replacements due to illness also won their group with victories over the Borders 5-1 and Ayrshire 4-2.

Special mention went to 12-year-old Anna Curtis, also a Dollar Academy student, who played above her age group and won all her matches in the group stages.

Also part of the 15U team was her school-mate Rory Payne

The inexperienced 12U team, including Dollar's Eilidh Wishart, fought hard on the court but did not quite manage to win their group.

The final two days of the competition saw the teams battling it out for final placings, both 15U and 18U up against strong opposition from Tayside and the West of Scotland.

Despite some exciting matches involving championship tie-breaks neither team was able to take the title and ended up in third spot in both age categories.

The 12U team were facing young people from the Highlands and Borders.

They gained an all-important 5-1 win against the Borders team to ensure that overall the Central team finished in third place – their best result in the past five years.

Adam Brown, coach and team captain, said: “I was very proud of every single player’s contribution in a great team effort.

“On paper we were not ranked in the top three overall but they all played with a great spirit and determination and rose to the occasion supporting each other and they did themselves and their district proud.

“A big thanks to the 15U boys, Oliver and Rory, who stepped in at the last minute and produced some excellent performances.

“The great support from our sponsor, technology company Adarma was invaluable and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the championships.”