Team D (Blue): Dougie Auld / Steve Laux / Donny Hay (sub) / John Waterlow
Team A (Yellow): Rob Garner / Richard Willson / Fiona Auld (sub) / David Morrison
This was the penultimate round of the Thirds competition with Team Garner in a very strong position having won all their matches up until now. The match could decide the result of the competition.
Regular players Kay and Gill had called off at the eleventh hour so after some scrambling around, Fiona stood up to the plate while Steve rounded up a potential new member in Donny Hay. Now Donny was an unknown but had played before. In order to maintain marital harmony in the Auld household, Fiona was nominated to play for Rob and thus Donny joined Team Dougie.
Dougie, John and David had played the previous weekend in the Jackson Centenary against what turned out to be some former Olympic medallists. Would some of their skills have rubbed off today?
End 1. The ice was stiff and the players had difficulty judging weight. Lots of stones were short or long. Even Deemo had trouble. The end went to Team Garner but only by one stone.
End 2: Still not finding the ice weight and there were more lost stones but somehow Team Auld managed to pull one back and level the match.
End 3: Pressure was building and Donny was proving to be a dark horse – he had clearly played before and was starting to find his game. He may even be a contender for the Super Broom title knocking ‘Billy the Brush’ off his throne as the club’s top sweeper. Great take out play from Fiona set Rob up for a big finish which Dougie could not reduce taking them into the lead by 3 shots.
Team Garner were definitely showing their form.
End: 4: Team Auld gets a stone back – Richard losing his earlier form giving an opportunity for Dougie.
The ice condition was becoming keener with a big swing giving more opportunities for the proponents of the draw shot. All players adjusting to the degree of draw available.
End 5: Despite the building of opposition stones in the house, Rob draws into the inner rings and counts. But there remained a slim opportunity for Skip Auld – there was still a narrow path through and with sniper precision Skip Auld managed to take out Team Garner and count four! Miraculous; some would say unbelievable. The score board swung to record Team Auld now leading by two.
End 6: Team Garner under increasing pressure. Everyone on high focus – sensing a win, Team Auld raised their game to build a score close to the button and guarded well. But Team Garner were playing even better, managing to secure positions closer still. A strike with clinical accuracy from Skip Auld found a stone charging through a narrow path, clearing out opposition stones and finishing counting. Skip Garner’s last stone was a more subtle draw swinging around the front right long guard and wicking in off a blue counter to count. A fabulous shot. Team Garner were now trailing by just one shot.
And so to the last end with everything to play for.
End 7: The build-up is vague. Team Garner had secured a clutch of three stones just behind dead centre and the guard was strong leaving only a tricky draw to the left, a more open draw to the right or, as the end developed, another narrow lane down the middle. Team Auld were holding the Hammer. Both skips drawing down the right side with more success going to Rob.
Last stone.
Steve, playing third, studying the stones at his feet seemed overwhelmed with the amount of granite in the house. He is after all a geologist. The route in from the right was now closed after Rob’s last stone. There was an opportunity down the left. It would be a delicate draw, having to sneak past a long guarding blue to sit in the nest of yellows. Maybe the centre strike was also possible but it looked tight.
Lots of discussion and head scratching. Steve, thinking the draw was the best option chose the line and Dougie headed back to the hack.
Change of plan. From the hack the centre route looked better and given that Dougie had more success in the previous end with strike shots, he decided that to be the better option. But it would have to be heavy. And it would have to be true.
Line adjusted. Shot delivered. Sweepers struggling to keep up with the projectile.
Wallop! The stone rattled around and somehow found its way to the centre, moving everything.
When the dust settled, it became clear that three the yellows had been reduced to one.
Match Peeled …… Lucky or skilled or both?…. We will never know but what a match!
Many thanks to Fiona and Donny for standing in and I hope Donny returns for more fun.
Well done all.
And well done to Team Garner for winning league
Dougie.
Holyrood Curling Club 