To echo Bill Shankly’s famous words, for Team Kinnaird this match was considerably more than important than life and death. Two months into the season and five games without a win, the team were hungry, not to say desperate, to break the points drought. Meanwhile, Team MacConnachie, while not exactly bothering the league leaders, at least had the comfort of a win and a draw already under their belts.
So after a tense and close-fought game, for Team Kinnaird to end up with a win and two points on the scoresheet, the result had them, metaphorically at least, running around the curling rink with their jumpers over their heads.
With skip Alice marooned over the bridges by Storm Arwen, John W. was standing in as skip with the remainder of the five-handed rink all present and correct. Team MacConnachie too had a full turn-out so the scene was set for a titanic battle.
First blood went to the latter with a confidence-boosting opening end win, albeit by just one stone.
Team Kinnaird needed to draw on all their resources to ensure that they stayed in the game. This they did. Despite some virtuoso shots from Team MacConnachie – notably a confident take-out by Rob Garner through a slot little wider than a curling stone – Team Kinnaird nibbled away with single stone wins over the next four ends. It was always a close game and could have gone either way. Playing with great caution, Team Kinnaird were determined not to let this one slip away with John W. resorting to calling for guards from as early as the third and fourth stones on occasions – despite mutterings of discontent from the more bullish members of the team.
And indeed, the wobble came in the sixth end when MacConnachie clawed a vital one stone back. Could the game still slip from Team Kinnaird’s grasp in the seventh? But no, the pressure was telling on the skips, both of whom fluffed shots with John W. failing to guard adequately and John M. failing to capitalise on it. Nonetheless, the last end went to Team MacConnachie although by just a single stone – not enough to overturn the game. At 4-3, the end result meant much relief for Team Kinnaird, and thoughts of what might have been for Team MacConnachie.
John W. 28 November 2021.
Holyrood Curling Club 