I had somehow logged this first match of the year in my diary as an ‘18.30’ start rather than 17.30, so was horrified when I arrived at 18.10 to see it all in full swing!
Quickly changed, I sheepishly took the ice, with ‘happy new year’ handshakes. George skipping team B (blue) had won the first two ends with a one and a two, so score at 3-0.
Richard was standing in for my absence, and in that current third end of play yellow were lying two, and with his last stone Richard nicely drew in for a three. So I took over at all-square 3-3 (not including the my-fault penalty points!).
That 4th end developed evenly, with some front-of-house guarding stones, some yellows in the house, but a hidden blue counter. I managed a raise on a front yellow at an angle to takeout that blue and lie, and when George didn’t get anything in the house we ended with an important 4…7-3.
From there we played on tidily, David drawing good lengths, Gill and Richard getting good results. One end Fiona neatly took out our yellow counter, and then drew a counter, so we were up against about 4 blues, but there was an opening and I was able to drop one into the 4-ft and guarded to survive for a one.
We carried on neatly, while the blues had some difficulties with their length, so it ran out to a 12-3 result, plus that darned penalty, 12-6. Apologies again.
Next morning I double-re-checked all my diary entries!
Cheers Rob
Holyrood Curling Club 