JESTERS EDINBURGH TOUR, 16th-18th June 2023
The long-awaited return leg to the last Scottish Jesters visit to London in early 2022 kicked off in fine style as the intrepid tourists descended by plane, train and bus on a sunny Edinburgh.
FRIDAY 16th JUNE
After checking in at the Airbnb and a refreshing beverage in the blazing sun on George St., the squad were whisked in style to Edinburgh Sports Club (ESC) where our Match 1 opponents – a combination of ESC and Scottish Jesters – were gathering.
The Jesters Tourists
Gillem Tulloch
James Gardner
Chris Morrell
Steven Jones
Miranda Nicolson
Malcolm Kerr (non-playing)
ESC/Jesters Scotland
Adrian Richmond
Fraser Macdonald
Jordan Amaral
Tony Hadden
Edith Mackenzie
Ross McHoul (non-playing)
First on court was Miranda, taking on Edith while James sized up his hard-hitting opponent Fraser.
The home team got off to a flying start as both Edith and Fraser quickly got into their rhythm and found the better length on the hot courts. Miranda and James kept the point scores close but power and consistency from the ESC players saw them take both matches 3-0.
Next up were Stephen vs Tony and Chris vs Jordan and it was clear from the early exchanges that both matches would be hard fought.
Chris played well to go 2-1 up before Jordan hit a magic patch game 4 reaching 10-0 – generously conceding a point to Chris at the end. With his head “back in the game” in the 5th, Chris rallied to 10-7 up and match ball, but the Burmudan was not to be denied, taking the decider 12-10 with a miraculously fluked tickle-boast off the frame.
Next door the temperature was rising as Stephen and Tony also found themselves at 2-2 and 10-all…11, 12, 13-all …as each saw match points come and go until, finally (after giving a very Jesterly let on his own match ball) Stephen succumbed 18-20. Epic!
Last up were the top-string pair, Jester candidate, Gillem T vs ESC and Scotland over-50s stalwart, Adrian R. With similarly attacking styles, neither held back and shared the first 2 games with an impressive display of wrong-footing boasts, tight drives and pin-point drops. As the match wore on, Adrian’s fitness and Gillem’s jetlag started to tell as the home player turned the screw and sealed the match 3-1.
So a well-deserved 5-0 win for the Scots but a good showing from the London crew.
Following a refreshing ale or 2 at the ESC bar the tour moved on for a well-earned curry.
SATURDAY 17TH JUNE
No trip to Edinburgh would be complete without a swim in the North Sea, so Chris set off early to run to Portobello Beach for a dip before breakfast and padel back at ESC.
2 hours of social padel hosted by Tony and Edith showed both established skills and great potential in the Jesters squad…. definitely more for next year!
After enjoying the wonderful facilities and hospitality at ESC for the rest of the morning and early PM an Uber was hailed and the team headed South for Watsonian’s home grounds — Myreside!
Match 2: Jester Club vs Watsonians
Paul Jenkins
Scott Thomson
Paul Macari
Hector Milne
Edith Mackenzie
A refreshed Gillem arrived first for the tourists and got straight on court with Paul “Jenko” Jenkins. With both players looking fit and fast, the match had the makings of a long slog with the first going to the tie break 12-10 to Gillem. Uncharacteristic errors from Jenko and a some punishing boasts kept momentum with Gillem who took the match (Jesters first of the tour) in 3 very close games.
Meanwhile, James took on Watsonians captain Scotty T – a re-match from Scottish Jesters London 2022 tour – James snuck the first game despite some great forehand winners from Scotty then kept the pressure in games 2 and 3 to take another point for the tourists.
The courts were getting hotter and hotter as Chris and Hector started their match. The canny Scot started well, exploiting some loose shots and working Chris around the courts with some excellent touch but as Chris relaxed and found his length, his fitness started to show. 3-1 and the match!
Stephen – still fresh after 2 hours of padel and an hour of tennis earlier in the day – put diplomacy aside in his match against President of Scottish Squash, Paul M giving a masterclass in using all 4 corners, and the height of the court. A comfortable 3-0 to Jesters!
Finally, Miranda and Edith – a rematch from Friday’s game – with Miranda keen to get some more points on the board for Jesters. There were some excellent rallies and shots from both players from the start but the Scottish Number 8’s consistency and accuracy on the super-heated court kept Edith ahead throughout, coming through impressively in 3 straight games.
Final result – 4-1 to Jesters!
Drinks were generously hosted by Watsonians in the newly renovated bar overlooking the beautiful pitches. Following presentation of the match shield to Scotty T, James G presented Chris with a Jesters tie to welcome him to full Jesters membership.
And so to dinner….
Italian restaurant, Amarone was the chosen venue for our final team dinner and we were delighted to be joined by Watsonian Ken Macnamara.
Full stomachs and aching legs saw the team head back to the apartment for a well-earned sleep – even Chris was looking wee bit tired!
SUNDAY 18th JUNE….DEPARTURES
The team enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Dishoom, St Andrew’s Square after seeing Chris off for his early train…while Gillem and Malcolm looked forward to a week of golf ahead ☺
Plans for Edinburgh 2024 are already in the works with golf and padel to be hard-baked into the fixture!
