Team Craig missing John Mac but Team Auld still aware that this is a strong team and expect to pushed onto the ropes.

Bell goes.

‘Lucky’ John Mac missing as the game gets underway but then he shows before penalties can be applied (he is after all a retired football referee).  John playing second for this end.

Three stones counting for Team Craig and without the addition of Lady Luck who has a habit of helping John Mac, Team Auld knew this was going to be tough.

However the second end saw a point for Team Auld…maybe there was hope.

Third end also was a win for Team Auld as was the forth. Jim Craig unusually not finding the big shots to close these ends in his favour.

Team Craig seeing the dark cloud forming over Jim’s head, dug deep and with fantastic sweeping and clinical stone delivery in ends five and six pulled them back to trail by one point.

And so to the final end.

The guard builds a substantial wall at the front of house.

Team Auld manage to sneak a few stones just into the house but the growing guard makes reaching the button a real challenge.

That said a narrow door opened and Team Auld with some beautifully managed sweeping and tickling of a guard stone, managed to sneak their penultimate stone close to the centre of house

The centre stone was the target for Jim. It was exposed as the guard had been shuffled a little.

Jim’s last stone – he had to make this shot to level the match. Could he do it?  Yes he did!  With the help some diligent sweeping, Jim knocked the stone out of house and held.

The match was drawn.

Team Auld’s last stone would win the match if only they could clear Jim’s.

Two options follow Jim’s last stone – in at pace and sit, or drawing from the wing and finish inside Jim.

Much debate. Skip thinking the draw was a lower risk. The take-out shot wasn’t straightforward as the gate was very narrow and there was a slight swing to the line. Lead Waterlow’s advice was to take the narrow gate and knock out Jim. (And that was the only advice I gave that night! – JW)

Team Auld had the bit between their collective teeth. Third Steve and the skip agreed the line. Sweepers ready (to paraphrase TV Gladiators).

The stone was launched …. Sweepers under the instruction of Steve steered the stone through the gate and clobbered Jim’s #8 causing it to clear. Team Auld’s #8 stopped dead centre!

Once the dust settled the count revealed the Team Auld were counting four!

Maybe Lady Luck had climbed on Auld’s shoulder after John Mac’s late arrival.

Well done all.  A cracking match – it could have gone either way.

Dougie

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