Well, this was a very peculiar game!
The ice was playing very erratically, perhaps from fierce usage over the previous three days of national mixed championships.
Also, Jim was apparently somewhere between Southampton and Edinburgh airport, and possibly arriving, but meanwhile Deemo happened to be at the rink so stood in.
Unfortunately, with Deemo on great form, it created a big mismatch in the leads, and Richard and James were playing nicely to capitalise on that. So, with many shots behaving strangely, the early ends became rather one-way traffic and Team Auld raced to a huge 11-2 lead after four ends.
The fifth end was developing similarly with plenty of stones in the house and two blue counters. But with the final stones we had to risk going down the strange right-hand side, and with good sweeping it did run weirdly straight, to pass the guards and then swing in, knocking several stones about. After a measure, it proved a score of four yellow stones.
Next end, firing away from the gallery, there developed two pairs of blue stones lying left and right of centre, but John got some yellow stones inside them. My stones similarly nudged in, promoting and guarding, so this time against the hammer we scored another four. Game suddenly on!
Final end saw a couple of early stones from Fiona and Billy lie nicely in line behind a guard, looking safe. Then one of Richard’s stones was going a bit wayward down that same right-hand side, only to nick a wick-in off an outlier and trundle left, to lie exactly on the button, guarded! Jaws dropped. The bell had now gone, and we were playing in a quiet empty rink. Dougie laid a nice short guard on the left, looking safe, but my last stone somehow worked past it, curling in for a nudge on that counter, and took over the button! Dougie’s last stone could not do anything, so it finished at an 11 – 11 peel (4-3 on ends), to the delight of team D, while Dougie headed off so quick he didn’t sign the scoresheet.
A very peculiar game!
Rob.
Holyrood Curling Club 