External Fixtures

Midlothian Province League – Division 3

Date	Time	Opponent
Thursday 16 October 2025	8.15 pm	Holyrood 7 v Musselburgh 8
Thursday 6 November 2025	6.00 pm	Holyrood 4 v RBS 7
Monday 8 December 2025	5.30 pm	Holyrood 9 v Bank of Scotland 2
Thursday 29 January 2026	7.45 pm	Holyrood 3 v DAFS 10
Thursday 26 February 2026	5.30 pm	Holyrood v Coates Score TBA
Monday 16 March 2026	6.00 pm	1st v 2nd Final

The 2024/25 season was a salutary one. We had moved up to Division 2 and were brimming with confidence for another successful Province season. Alas, the strong competition brought us down to earth with a bump. Over six games we won one, lost five. So it is back down to Division 3 this season. Let’s see if we can recover our past glories.

First Game – Thursday 16th October

Goodness that hurt! If ever there was a case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, this was it. Our team, fresh-faced and full of enthusiasm at the start comprised Steve at lead, Colin second, Ken third and John W shouldering skipping responsibilities. Our opposition claimed to be a bit rusty – indeed, their skip, a well-kent face from VETS, had only just returned from holiday. And they were, throwing far too many wayward stones to match our measured and accurate play. By the third end we were 6 ahead and the opposition still had to score.

But then they found their sea-legs, opening their account with a single in the fourth and a two in the fifth. Could they catch up? Surely not after the tense sixth end where the advantage of the hammer meant we could take a single after a series of accurate stones had funnelled into the centre. 8-3 to Holyrood. We thought it was all over.

Then the wheels fell off in the seventh and last end. A succession of dire stones from us left the opposition with more protected stones in the centre than was comfortable. Skip John tried to draw round to at least cut them down but failed miserably leaving them with four counting stones. Oh well, at least it would be peels or we might even win if they got unlucky with their last stone. But far from it! A beautifully measured draw resulted in a five. A fine skip’s stone if ever there was one. Holyrood just stood there in stunned disbelief. Must do better next time.

Second Game – Thursday 6th November

It was Rob’s turn to skip with Dougie at third, Ken playing second and Steve leading. Comments from the skip: “A good game last night, but didn’t win.  It was close, tight stuff all through, against a strong side.  They took the opening three ends narrowly, before we  pulled two ends back to level and then we edged ahead into a lead at 4-3.  But in the final end our counters got taken away well, and including a last stone draw they ended that end comfortably ahead.” 

Third Game – Monday 8th December

Redemption! For those involved in our disastrous first game of the season (Steve and yours truly), that is what this game felt like. This was a strong victory from a team that was firing on all cylinders and a result which gave a very satisfying confidence boost to the Holyrood campaign in the Province competition.

Steve played at lead while Donny took the second’s slot, the latter invigorated by his new shiny toe-capped curling shoes. Between them they were on fire, piling stones into the house – so much so that third James’s job was often more about guarding than anything else.

The stones were curling strongly leading to errors which perhaps affected the opposition more than ourselves, although we were by no means immune. However, they were also not getting the rub of the green and on occasions the bounce of their shots helped us rather than them. By the third end we were already seven shots up and the oppositions’ tails were down. Although they opened their account at the fourth end, we were feeling increasingly confident, although as we knew from bitter experience, we could not afford to be complacent So we kept the pressure on. Indeed, in the last end, it was notable that despite losing the end by a single stone, we had all eight of our stones in the house – not something we often see! JW.

Fourth Game – Thursday 29th January

Ho-hum. We were never really in this game. Team was Rob, yours truly, Donny and Dougie. Given that we lost by a considerable margin and I am writing this more than ten days after the event, the fine details have already been erased from my memory – if any other team members have anything to add, postcards to Holyrood CC please.

Fifth Game – Thursday 26th February

This was our last Province game of the season, given that our lowly table position meant that we were not going to be worried about the Division final next month. But we were hoping to go out with a bang, given that wins had been few and far between so date. Unfortunately, those hopes were severely dented at the start when we learnt that one of team, instead of being delayed on his way to Murrayfield was instead on a train from London.

Nevertheless, the remaining team members, Colin at lead, Deemo at 2nd/3rd and John W skipping, while facing a score penalty, were determined to make a game of it and go down fighting.

Our opponents, Coates, are a long-established club with a history going back almost as far as Holyrood’s. However, although a team of experienced curlers, they have only returned to the Province this year after a gap of a number of years and like us, had so far found wins to be in scarce supply.

We got off to a good start with a single at the first end. And from then on our confidence grew. Both Colin and Deemo were playing out of their skins. Colin was putting an exceptionally high proportion of shots in the house and Deemo was consolidating the position with either more scoring stones or accurately positioned guards. As skip it is rare that one plays a game when you know the front end are going to give you the stones in the house that you have asked for. Inspired stuff. My only frustration was that on at least a couple of ends, I missed opportunities to gain a higher score. But nevertheless, by the seventh end, our opponents had score only two singles to our nine.

There were just seconds on the clock to start the eight end which we keen to do in order to give us a chance of extending our lead and offset the penalty. Unfortunately, we stumbled and lost a single so the final score was 9-3 to Holyrood. Was that enough to overcome the penalty and leave us with a win? On the night, no-one could remember the rules and were more interested in going upstairs for a drink. So as I write we are awaiting the Province adjudication on this – this post will be updated when we know the outcome.

King George IV Trophy Competition

Date	Time	Opponent
Friday 5 December 2025	6.00 pm	Holyrood 3 v Boswall 5
Friday 23 January 2026	8.15 pm	N/A
Friday 20 February 2026	8.15 pm	N/A
Friday 13 March 2026	6.00 pm	Final

The King George IV Trophy is a knock-out competition.

Friday 5th December – Boswall

Unfortunately we lost this one but my goodness, it was close. Indeed, one of the closest games I have played in for a long time and it could have gone either way right to the last stone. Both sides played some great shots and some shockers and got lucky breaks and bad luck. Very absorbing.

We got off to a great start with strong play from the whole team while Boswall were hesitant. We were already three up after two ends and the third end could have broken the opposition. A precise clearance from skip Rob with his last stone left us lying four (or was it five?) – but Boswall’s skip still had one to go and he managed to wick his stone off one of our outliers to gain a single and open their account.

From then on, although Boswall had gained confidence, every end could have gone either way. But they kept taking singles. A sliding doors moment came in the fifth end when were lying one with just our skip’s last stone to go – play safe or try and shift a vulnerable opposition stone for two? We needed to score as much as possible so Rob took the latter course – the right decision in the circumstances but an unfortunate bounce left them a stone to the good.

We could still have pulled it back at the seventh and last end, needing only two for a win (peels would have gone against us on ends) and we came so close. But in the end, a fine draw from Rob into the centre just travelled an inch too far. What might have been.

John.

For details of fixtures and results of both competitions, please follow this link: https://midlothiancurling.weebly.com/competitions.html