PAISLEY squash internationalist Kevin Moran won three matches as Scotland finished fourth at the European Team Championships in Helsinki.

The men’s team, competing in Division One, were just edged out for bronze by seven points (133 to 127) in their third place play-off with Germany on Saturday which ended tied at two matches apiece.

Moran beat Finland’s Kristian Rautiainen as Scotland began their campaign with a 2-2 draw in their opening Group A tie.

He followed that up with another fine win over Petr Martin as Scotland swept aside the Czech Republic 4-0.

The Scots lost to eventual tournament winners France on Thursday with Moran losing to world number 25 Grégoire Marche but they had done enough in their first two matches to claim a semi-final berth.

England proved too strong in the last-four clash with the Auld Enemy on Friday, Moran losing to world number 12 Daryl Selby, but the 26-year-old finished his European campaign with a tight win over Germany’s Valentin Rapp.

The women’s team, featuring 16-year-old national champion Georgia Adderley, claimed a bronze medal in their first year back in division two.

Reflecting on the four days in Finland, national coach Paul Bell said: “I really could not have asked for any more from the players in both teams.

“We came here looking to give it our all and the players certainly did that. They came up against some world class players but really dug in hard and I think the future of Scottish squash is in good hands with these players.”

He continued: “The good thing in our sport is that we can integrate the young players into senior competitions and they can only learn from experiences like this and take it into their summer training regime.

“It is great to see them interacting with the older players like Kevin (Moran) and being confident in this environment and I think it shows them what to expect going forward.”