Volleyball: Glover fits for Coutts' bid

MEL COUTTS has enlisted the help of one of only two British players to have played volleyball at the Olympics for this weekend's Portobello Beach Championships.

The City of Edinburgh player – Scotland's indoor player of the year – will partner England's Mo Glover at the event.

Glover finished ninth with Scot Audrey Cooper (now coach to the Great Britain women's indoor team) in the beach event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and, while no Brits have managed to step on to the Olympic stage since, that will change in 2012 with the host nation having guaranteed indoor and beach places. Coutts, organiser of the Portobello event, won it last year with Eilidh Smith but partnering Glover is a new experience. "I've never partnered her before at a tournament but we intend to also play in the Weymouth event this summer."

Coutts and Glover will start as strong favourites to win this weekend in a tournament that will feature the best players from all over Scotland.

Audrey Cooper aims to guide the GB women to their first win in the European League when they face champions Serbia in a double-header in Belgrade. Edinburgh's Joanne Morgan is in the squad.