Tennis: David is world champ...at stone skimming

Oct 9 2009 by Mike Wilson

HEARD the one about the Ayr man who is a world champion... after practising for only ten minutes?

It’s a great tale to tell the youngsters at Prestwick Tennis Centre where David Gee is a full-time coach.

David, 47, quipped: “I tell the kids that Andy Murray is number three in the world but their coach is number one!”

David left a field of 316 in his wake to win the 14th world stone skimming championships on picturesque Easdale, the smallest permanently inhabited island in the Inner Hebrides.

David had been visiting Oban for a tennis tournament in the summer when he saw posters advertising the novel event.

He revealed: “I liked the sound of it and made up mind to come back and give it a go. My wife Susan I took the ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick and then had about ten minutes to spare while waiting for the second boat from Lochranza to Claonaig.

“I took the chance to practise and threw about six stones into the water. I quickly got the hang of it but the technique is not dissimilar to a good tennis shot.

“It’s all about good transfer of weight from the back leg to the front leg. You are really following the same principles about getting power into a tennis shot.”

Sixteen countries took part with entrants from Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, USA, Germany, France, Sweden, Spain, Australia, Canada, Poland, New Zealand, Holland, Turkey and Greece.

Windy conditions on the day counted out the defending champion who was ruled three no throws after failing to make his stones count.

David added: “You needed heavy stones to have a chance but they could be no more than three inches in diameter. I thought I had chosen three good stones but all of them turned out to be too big and I had to search around for others.

“I made sure all of my stones counted and that was the key to victory. It’s great to be a world champion - and I’ll definitely defend my title next year.”