Team A (Dougie) vs Team C (John Mac)  26th January 2023

It took very few stones before each curler had their ‘relative measure’ of the ice, resulting in good weight and position on the ice. The rinks were evenly balanced, and the scores could go either way.

A single point for C at the first end was quickly cancelled by A at the second end. Then A’s second point at third end to go one ahead was an unwelcome omen.

At the fourth end Rink C was counting one stone at skip’s last stone to play. There was a tantalising chance to draw in for two points and go ahead. However, the close array of Rink A stones in-front meant no room for error. A quick chat before the ‘percentage‘ decision to keep A in sight by playing short to secure the one point.

The fifth saw many stones in and around the house, with C looking good for two points. C’s last couple of stones combined with deft sweeping made it five points and a shock for A.

Credit to A in that they still presented a strong challenge in the last two ends before the final 9-3 for C.    

Kind regards,

Geo.

George Morrison

Team A (Dougie) vs Team D (John W)  23rd January 2023

A 9-2 win to Team D might seem like a thrashing but the play was much closer than it might appear and, it has to be said, lady luck was most definitely not on the side of Dougie and his team this night.

Both teams were playing a substitute.  A heavy cold meant Jim was a-bed and therefore missing from Team D while Team A was without Rob “I’d much rather be curling” Garner who was recovering from heavy-duty dental engineering work earlier in the day.  A fortuitous mix-up meant that both Kay Wilson and Dave Dunsire arrived to sub for Rob while appeals for an understudy for Jim had been unsuccessful.  So Dave was quickly co-opted to join Team D and the game commenced with a full complement of players.

Team D opened their account by winning the first end by one stone.  But the second end went to Team Auld with NJW scratching his head as to how to get at his opponents’ well-guarded stones and failing to come up with any constructive ideas.

Despite good play by Team A, it was Team D that took the third end by two stones thanks to a fortuitous tap up by skip NJW on his last shot.  And after that Team A’s fortunes went into reverse gear and stayed there. Team D took every subsequent end.  There were no outlandish scores, just steady singles or twos.  Had Team A in general and skip, Dougie, in particular, broken a mirror, walked under a ladder or forgotten to wear their lucky underpants?  Whatever the reason, it was one of those games where their stones always seemed to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That said, it wasn’t all luck working in Team D’s favour.  There was also the skill and hard work of the team with lead Dave Dunsire doing what a lead should be doing and getting the early stones in the house while Fiona at second was playing well-weighted shots too.  But most notable was third for the night Richard whose play was inspired – an undisputed contender for “Curler of the Match”. Of particular merit was his perfectly aligned take-out of two adjacent stones at the front of the house in the fifth (or perhaps it was the sixth?) but there were numerous other fine examples.

Overall, it was an excellent game played in the good-hearted tradition of Holyrood Curling Club. It’s just a pity that there still aren’t the facilities to allow us to repair to the bar for that much-needed post mortem on the game.

John.