Battle of Brits: Murray brothers win doubles match but England claim trophy

Andy and Jamie Murray were victorious in possibly their final match together in Scotland but England walked away with the inaugural Schroders Battle of the Brits trophy.

Scotland's Andy Murray and Jamie Murray celebrate after winning their match against England's Dan Evans and Neal Skupski during day two of Schroders Battle of the Brits at P&J Live, Aberdeen. Picture date: Thursday December 22, 2022.

Organised by Jamie Murray, the Scotland versus England clash proved a hit in Aberdeen, with around 20,000 fans attending the P&J Live arena across two days.

England had the higher-ranked players but the Murray brothers were the star attraction and it was fitting that they should have the final say, defeating Neal Skupski and Dan Evans 6-3 6-4 in a dead rubber as England completed an 8-4 victory.

Andy said on the BBC: “I certainly hope it’s not the case but we need to treat these moments like we might not get the opportunity again because we’re getting on a bit and you never know what’s round the corner.

“It was amazing. The whole two days, very proud of Jamie for the event that he put on and also all of the players.

“There’s obviously a huge team behind the scenes helping put on the event but all the players, it meant a lot to both of us that everyone turned up and competed well and went after it and created a great event for everyone who came along to watch.”

The 35-year-old will head to Australia buoyed by his performances, especially victory over rising star Jack Draper on Wednesday. He was unable to repeat that against England number one Dan Evans on Thursday but it was another close battle, with the world number 27 winning 6-4 3-6 (10-8).

Victory was secured for England in the first match of the final session, when Paul Jubb defeated Aidan McHugh 6-2 6-2.

England had pulled ahead in the opening match on Thursday when Skupski and Jubb defeated Jamie Murray and Jonny O’Mara 6-4 5-7 (10-6).

This was the realisation of two years of work for Jamie after Covid-19 forced the postponement of the event last Christmas at short notice.

The 36-year-old said: “It was awesome. We had a great two days, three amazing sessions. It was so much fun to come out and play in Scotland, and to finish off the event playing with Andy was really special.”