agm on 19th april at stirling cricket club, sally-ann takes the quaich
Eleven members attended the AGM which also welcomed Joan Anderson on the night. There was lots to discuss and it was a productive evening, especially the prize giving with the most enthusiastic player of the season awarded the Provost's Quaich. Sally-Ann Christmas pipped last year's winner Paul Mosley by a single point. Sally-Ann won the Points trophy which helped her score, beating last year's Points winner Paul. Congratulations Sally-Ann.
The minutes have been circulated for comment. none was received and they are included below.
The minutes have been circulated for comment. none was received and they are included below.
agm2022.pdf |
and its all over, closing bonspiel taken to the final stone
on the 30th March the last game of the season was played with a full turnout of 16 players in four teams playing over 2 sheets of ice at the Peak main arena. In ends and shots it was a close run match with teams 1 and 3 both winnng 4 ends out of 7 played. The respective wins of 8 v 5 and 7 v 5 meant that team 2 took the final trophy of the season by a single shot. We posed for a photo at the end just for the record. We were joined by a new member for next season, Marek Iwan, who took advantage of the curling equipment we purchased to bring on new players. Marek certainly used them well as he rotated around the sides over the night. Everyone made him welcome and we look forward to seeing him next season. There was a bit of sadness too as this will be the last game with Derrick Douglas, as he is retiring from the club.
Winning team on the night was Iain Gwynne, Graeme Anderson, Ian Mackie and Alastair Christmas..
Winning team on the night was Iain Gwynne, Graeme Anderson, Ian Mackie and Alastair Christmas..
Left to right: Paul Mosley, Marek Iwan, Graeme Anderson, John Brisbane, Alastair Christmas, Sally-Ann Christmas, Iain Gilmour, Joe Kincaid, Jim Marshall, Luisella Mosley, Rory MacKenzie, Ian Mackie, Alan Hadden, Alan Watt, Iain Gwynne, Norman Ainslie
best result in daytime league to finish second
Ian Mackie led the daytime team in their final game of the competition against the irregulars. It was a five end stroll to a 10 v 2 win. Well done to the squad, Iain Gwynne, Alan Haddedn and Alan Watt making up the rest of the team.
Alexandra frew's team wins hendry
Unfortunately, Alex couldn't play in the last match and quite a few substitutes were in evidence, but Alastair Christmas skipped the final game of the series to clinch the title with a resounding 10 v 1 win.
team mackenzie take the muirhead (where's rory?)
Two much changed teams played each other in the Muirhead knockout final on Monday 21st March. Iain Gwynne was playing in another final for his other club, Rory MacKenzie was on duty and so substitutes were to the fore. It fell to the President, John Brisbane to lead Team MacKenzie with Alastair Christmas being the other original member. Team Gwynne was skipped by Nornam Ainslie, with the rest of the team intact.
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scca league finishes with good win and slightly better points total than last year
We played the combined team of Larbert and Laurieston and Zetland in the final SCCA League game and recorded a fine win of 6 v 2 to record a better second hlf to the league but still a slightly disappointing total of 21 points, up one win over last season. we were -6 shots scored overall as well, due to a couple of heavy defeats, We do however give everyone in the club the chance to play these games, so there is bound to be mismathes. SCCA League results.
muirhead final between team mackenzie and team gwynne
Will rory win a trophy without even playing? Should he? We'll find out on March 21st in the Muirhead final. This is still scheduled for 9:00pm unless we hear about staff shortages. In the meantime keep it in your diary. A good game is anticipated, Iain Gwynne has to be the favourite, it has been his best season so far.
polmaise trophy won back by borestone & stirling
There were two teams out to play for the Polmaise Trophy against Borestone & Stirling. This is such a long standing match between the two clubs and eagerly anticipated. We had success for the first team winning by a single shot at 6 v 5. However, the second team couldn't keep up with the opposition and a 2 at the last end still meant deefeat by 4 v 7 for an overall aggregate loss of 10 v 12. So the trophy goes back to Borestone & Stirling.
covid crashes corrieri for team kincaid
A positive lateral flow test for skip Joe Kincaid meant that his team had to play without him and one man short to sink their chances of winning the competition. Iain Gwynne's great escape against Grame Anderson with a score of 5 in the last end to win the game 7 v 6 means that they win the trophy with 5 points overall.. Well done.
extra end required to seperate the doubles finalists
It was billed as another potential cracking final and it lived up to it. Unfortunately Norman Ainslie couldn't play so Jim Marshall stepped in to partner Luisella Mosley. Their opponents were Iain Gwynne and Iain Gilmour. As Iain Gwynne reported " Great game, all square after eight ends, although we were 5 ends to 3. Luisella played brilliantly and it was her final shot that secured a four. A draw to the button from me took the game to the extra end and got it by one. Great format." There has been lots of good feedback from players, so this may well become a permanent feature.
doubles semi-finals set up another cracking final
There were steals involved and ones and twos traded among all the teams to eventually produce the winners. Iain Gwynne and Iain Gilmour beat Graeme Anderson and Sally-Ann Christmas 4 v 3. Norman Ainslie and Liucella Mosley beat John Bisbane and Paul Mosley 6 v 4.
an epic pairs final produces win for john brisbane and alex frew
Without doubt one of the highest scoring games of curling ever and this was a Pairs match. Both teams of John Brisbane and Alex Frew against Alan Watt and Alan Hadden scored big ends. The two Alans got off to a flier with a 3 in the first, held their opponents to a single before John and Alex fired ahead with two scores of 4. Alan and Alan came back with a huge 5 to be just a single point behind at 8 v 9 to go into the final two ends. John and Alex scored a 3 in each of the ends to ensure victory on 15 v 8. Amazing drawing from both teams.
history made with first club doubles competition under way
For the first time ever a Doubles competition is under way at the club. This new way of playing is now an Olympic sport and the club decided to give it a try. The ice was booked in similar fashion to the Pair, with an hour allocated for each game to keep the cost down. With only 5 stones each being delivered it was hoped this would be enough time for everyone to get 5 ends finished in the time. The Round 1 teams started sharply after getting organised with placed stones and positions. Some games rotated positions to give everyone a shot at playing three stones. It took a bit of getting used to when rotating, keeping up with who was playing what, however it was a different game from Pairs and just as enjoyable, more suited to a drawing game than anything else. Hence the house ususally being full of stones compared to Pairs.
The semi-final time has changed from the original time of 9:00pm in the NCA to the earlier time of 8:30pm in the main arena.
changes to ice times announced
Some adjustments have had to be made to some ice bookings until the end of the curling season. You may be aware that Active Stirling have been experiencing staff shortages across their service but in particular amongst the ice technician team. AS now have to move some sessions from the NCA to the PEAK ice arena to allow the ice technician to prepare one rink rather than a couple sheets on each. AS understand this may be disappointing to some clubs but we support them whilst they continue to deliver this curling season against a myriad of operational challenges which we know are felt across the country in almost every sector.
- Wednesday 23rd February at 9.00pm in the NCA to 8.30pm in the arena. Affected is Corrieri
- Monday 21st February at 9.00pm in the NCA to 8.30pm in the arena. Affected is Corrieri
- Monday 28th February at 9.00pm in the NCA to 8.30pm in the arena. Affected is Muirhead.
- Wednesday 23rd March at 9.00pm in the NCA to 8.30pm in the arena. Affected is Hendry.
so near yet so far, swanswater trophy remains with torbrex
As ever it was a very competitive match with Torbrex for the Swanswater Trophy but also a friendly one with plenty of banter between the teams. Unfortunately, the meal after the even was not possible due to Covid19 restrictions still in place, another week later and it would have been okay. On the night, Thurday evening at 5:30pm, the event was set up with Torbrex on yellow stones and ourselves on red and over the two rinks each club got last stone once for a fair game. Play started sharply and one sheet managed 8 ends, which was just as well as it turned out. Team 1 skipped by Jim Marshall kept up with Torbrex till the fifth end where they made a 3 then stole a 1 to lead 7 v 3. In the final end we were lying 2 but Jim just could't get the angle to push any more stones into the empty 8 foot and finished with a 2 to lose 7 v 5. On the other rink, skipped by Alan Watt, after starting with a single score, Torbrex piled in the stones and made a 4, folloed by tow steals of 1 to lead 6 v 1. We managed to scramble a single, then a steal of 2 and Alan kept it going with his final stones in the next two ends being fabulous draws that Torbrex couldn't match to peel at 6 v 6. Unbelievable, given the start. However, on aggregate, Torbrex won by that 2 shot win. A similar story last time, one peel and one lost. Very enjoble games and maybe next time we'll get them right.
pairs semi-finals produces a competitive final
In the first game between Iain Gwynne and Sally-Ann Christmas versus John Brisbane and Alex Frew our President produced two consecutive shots to score a two against all the odds as his opponents were lying 3 stones and guarded. The first shot hit an outlier red to hit it into the centre to lie one. The second stone drew into the button to join it for a two. Despite Iain and Sally-Ann's best efforts they could only reply with a single and so John and Alex progress to the final. In the other game, Joe Kincaid and Luisella Mosley got off to a flier scoring 3 with some frantic sweeping. Alan Watt and Alan Hadden just kept pegging away and managed two steals in a row leaving the final end with Joe and Luisella needing 2 shots to win. Alas the takeout didn't materialise and so the two Alans progress to the final. . The final will be a real test of drawing. between these two teams
pairs competition starts 2022 despite tighter covid19 restrictions
Once again Covid19 guidance has us back to one sweeper anywhere on the rink and so opposing skips have to stay out of the house and cannot sweep stones until they are playing. However, this is a Pairs competition and so has little impact on how the game is played. As at Christmas, everyone took a lateral flow test before playing to ensure everyone's safety. Sheets one and two were allocated and so we were not in the thick of all the play. The first round games only managed 4 ends in the time allowed, but finished sharply enabling the second round games to get 5 ends in despite having to sanitise all the stones before starting.. It does pay to start quickly. The ice was very keen and drawing only happened when the weight came off, making for interesting matches. The winners go forward to play on the 10th January at 5:30pm and 6:30pm.
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Graeme Anderson, Ian Mackie and Sally-Ann Christmas win bonspiel
With the advent of the OMICRON variant of COVID19 and its rapid spread during the week, there was some nervousness about meeting up, playing and then having a meal. The meal was postponed till the end of season bonspiel in the hope the situation will have improved. The Secretary then suggested that everyone do a Lateral Flow Test before attending to ensure that all the players were covid free before playing. We still had a couple of call offs prior to the day and another couple on the day which meant that teams had to be redone to give 3 players each to make a fair competition. To ensure safety in rotation of position and hence the number of stones to play because we had teams of 3, all the stones were wiped down after each end. We still only managed 7 ends each which appears to be the new normal. Sally-Ann provided sustenance in the form of sweets to keep everyone going. Everyone had a good time playing with plenty of banter in evidence and all the ends were competitive right up to the end. In the team 3 v 4 game, the Secretary had a draw to the button to score a 1 to clinch the game but the President decided to stop the sweeping and the stone was short by one inch to getting the win. In the Team 1 v 2 game, Graeme Anderson drew his last shot into the house to score a 5 and win the competition by one shot. There then followed a pantomime performance by Paul and Iain as to how this had been allowed to come about. So well done to everyone for doing the test and playing well.
The gang in the picture, left to right: Iain Gilmour, John Brisbane, Alan Hadden, Paul Mosley, Luisella Mosley, Graeme Anderson, Jim Marshall, Sally-Ann Christmas, Iain Gwynne, Ian Mackie, Joe Kincaid, Alan Watt.
iain gwynne's team win the mitchell/wilson trophy unbeaten
Despite two peeled matches and one win Team Gwynne won the Mitchell / Wilson Trophy with an outstanding win of 15 v 2 against Rory's team (and Iain wasn't even playing). John Brisbane and two substitutes put in a fantastic performance, almost scoring an eight in the final end. All the other teams finished on 3 points to Iain's 4. Well done to skip Iain Gwynne, John Brisbane, Alastair Christmas and Alex Frew.
cairns/elder trophy remains with us in good win over crossmyloof
Unfortunately Crossmyloof could only raise a single team to play in this annual competition and so it was played on Wednesday 17th November at 5:30pm on a single sheet of ice. To think that this started as a competition involving 6 teams a side. It was a comfortable vistory for the team of left to right, Ian Mackie, John Brisbane, President with the trophy, Notman Ainslie and Sally-Ann Christmas. Traditionally there is a meal afterwards at the ice rink, but given the sorry state it is in, a table was booked along at the Beefeater for everyone to retire to. The trophy was awarded there. Well done team.
Dunn trophy goes to kilsyth top teams
For the first time Balfron played in the Dunn Trophy in place of the now defuncy Fintry CC. So there was the possibility of a new name on the trophy. However, Kilsyth turned up with the A-Team this time as there were no takers from the original players unfornuately due to Covid19 concerns. Sadly several of the players who had played in previous years have stayed away. So it was always going to be a tough night for both us and Balfron. Graeme Anderson's team beat Balfron 10 v 6 but Joe Kincaid's team was no match for Kilsyth, losing 3 v 9. So Kilsyth won the trophy with 26 shots scored, we had 13 and Balfron had 8 overall.
Sally-ann makes her point
The Points competition took place on Wednesday the 3rd November, this time as a club only event. 9 people turned up to play, a Covid19 ping stopped Iain Gwynne from attending. We played on sheets 1 and 2 in the main arena and the ice was fairly consistent across both We managed to play 8 disciplines which meant to favourite Chip the Winner finished off the night and gave everyone a chance to boost their scores. Sally-Ann played a sure and steady game picking up points along the way. Paul came storming back at the end but didn't quite do enough to keep the trophy. Well done to Sally-Ann, who took away all the trophies on the night, being the only lady playing. The scoring and analysis is here.
a club first, support for daytime curling
Stirling Curling Group have arranged a new daytime league competition and four members have signed up to take part. This will be a small league this year, with three teams playing each other twice. Games will be on a Monday at 2.30pm and the dates have been pencilled in and due to start in November. The intention is to grow this into a full competition on a par with the Peak Leagues. :I hope other members will support the team if they need substitutes.
team anderson win the mcwattie
On the 11th October the deciding match between Team Anderson and Team Gwynne took place and a game was had. Team Gwynne took a 5 shot start over the first two ends with a 3 and a 2. Team Anderson replied with a score of 2 and 2 over the nexr two ends. After a single in reply by Team Gwynne, Team Anderson sealed the victory with a 3 and a 2 to win 9 v 6. The competition was marred by bad ice on two occasions making play difficult. It wasn't the case in the final game. Well played to Sally-Ann Christmas, Alan Hadden, Alan Watt and Graeme Anderson.
wheels come off against strathendrick
The Quarter Finals of the Forth Valley Area had us playing against Strathendrick who are a canny bunch and very tidy. Unfortunately we couldn't match them at drawing and were always struggling to score at all in most ends. A run of losing three ends in a row meant they were out of sight at 2 shots to 8, until a 3 at the last meant it looked better for us than it actually was.
First Round of Area Knockout completed
The game against Buchan was an unusual one in that they relied on wicks and propmotes for most of their play by the third and skip. It was increadibly difficult to play against and they kept themselves in the match after losing a 3 at the first end. This was their first game of the season and weight was an issue for their two lead players. Several times we had multiple stones counting and the skip would wick in and win the end. Enjoyable game though with us winning 7 v 4. On to the next round..
Mcwattie trophy starts with win for team 2
For the first time, the club played in the NCA on Wednesday the 8th September in the last shift of the night, between 9:00pm and 11:00pm. We were the only people playing so it was a bit spooky there, with no one else in sight and silence quite often while playing. The ice is very different from the main arena with big draws happening because of the way we normally play. It started with two shots changing hands over the first three ends, then singles before the seventh end, Team 2 stole a two with a pile of stones on the centre line and promotions the only way in and that didn’t work out for Team 1. A battle of the draws ensued in the final end and another single for Team 2 to win the game 5 v 7. Well played to Sally-Ann Christmas, Alan Hadden, Alan Watt and Graeme Anderson.
Scca league kicks off with a win
We played Torbrex on the Tuesday 7th September in the newly arranged league run by Stirling Curling Group for Tuesday evenings at 8:30pm. The team of skip Norman Ainslie, Graeme Anderson, Joe Kincaid and Alan Hadden raced into the lead by winning the first four ends to lead 6 v 0, including a 3 in the third end. However, we couldn’t prevent Torbrex skip Colin Smith from scoring a single despite lying several scoring stones in the 5th end. Torbrex then went on to win the next 2 ends but couldn’t score enough in the time available to catch us up so it finished 6 v 4. That is 3 points on the board and our best start since we won it.
Opening Bonspiel reduced to single match
Due to call-offs and holidays the opening was reduced to a single game initially three a side till a late arrival boosted one side to full strength. The other rink was reduced to playing a pairs match which achieved 9 ends and at least had a bit of competition in it with both sides managing to score an end of 4 shots. Each player had 3 stones to play as in a normal pairs match. Jim Marshall and Alan Hadden won it 14 v 5.
As for the actual bonspiel, Iain Gwynne, Luisella Mosley and Derrick Douglas managed a win of 7 v 3 winning 5 of the 7 ends played. No rotation of positions was possible because the match only started with 3 players each so people couldn't swap stones when playing skip. Had there been two full teams this would have been possible.
Well done to the winners of the first trophy of the season.
As for the actual bonspiel, Iain Gwynne, Luisella Mosley and Derrick Douglas managed a win of 7 v 3 winning 5 of the 7 ends played. No rotation of positions was possible because the match only started with 3 players each so people couldn't swap stones when playing skip. Had there been two full teams this would have been possible.
Well done to the winners of the first trophy of the season.
coaching session attracted 10 members
After the suucess of the Bounce Back Week our own coaching/practice/playing session on Monday 30th August at 5:30pm had 10 members back on the ice. It was good to meet up with everyone on the ice for the first time in well over a year. Unfortunately we didn't manage to get any new players along to try curling so we split up the two sheets, with 8 people playing a game and the coach and one or two players going through point scoring with 4 different disciplines. The players were rotated round till everyone had a shot at both events and playing in all positions. Care had to be taken because of Covid19, stones were regularly cleaned, along with hands, several players had gloves on for added protection and masks were worn to get into and out of the building. Even the sun was shining to make it all the more unusual. With that over, the season starts in earnest on Wednesday.
bounce back week a great success
As a club our members were enthusiastic supporters of Bounce Back Week. Almost three quarters of the membership took up the chance to play, be coached or just practice curling. For full details of the week, see the Stirling Curling Group website.
Looking at what was booked by everyone, it was striking to see that four people took the opportunity to play games in positions they don't normally play in to get the experience. Coaching and practice were secondary to playing games. With this much preparation it is to be expected that our matches should prove to be that bit more competitive. Our coach, Norman Ainslie played an active part in the coaching and was a busy person over the week.
NEW SEASON STARTS WITH DOUNE ROSEBOWL
Stirling Curling Group in partnership with Active Stirling, Scottish Curling, Stirling Ladies Section, Stirling Wheelchair CC and the Curling Coaches are organising a “Bounce Back to Curling” week from Monday 23 rd August to Thursday 26 th August 2021. The schedule for the week will contain coaching sessions, Informal practice/games, a friendly and informal Doubles Competition and various Funspiels.
One highlight of the Bounce Back week will be the Doune Rosebowl, the Opening Bonspiel of the season for Peak based Clubs (all players in a team must be members of the Club), which will take place on the 25 th August with sessions at 3pm and 6pm. We have entered the 6:00pm session with a team made up of club officials, Norman Ainslie, Alan Watt, Alan Hadden and Ian Mackie.
The game was against Buchlyvie and they always give us a good game. This was no exception, we lost the toss and unfortunatley meant we didn't get the same number of ends played as only 7 were achieve in the time. We lost 3 v 4, single shots won at every end, a very close game indeed.
One highlight of the Bounce Back week will be the Doune Rosebowl, the Opening Bonspiel of the season for Peak based Clubs (all players in a team must be members of the Club), which will take place on the 25 th August with sessions at 3pm and 6pm. We have entered the 6:00pm session with a team made up of club officials, Norman Ainslie, Alan Watt, Alan Hadden and Ian Mackie.
The game was against Buchlyvie and they always give us a good game. This was no exception, we lost the toss and unfortunatley meant we didn't get the same number of ends played as only 7 were achieve in the time. We lost 3 v 4, single shots won at every end, a very close game indeed.
indoor grand match postponed again
Following recent consultation with key staff and volunteers at Scottish Curling, and with input from Mike Ferguson as the Chairman of SIRA, we have decided to postpone the Indoor Grand Match (originally due to be played in October 2020) to October 2022.
Scheduling the event for 2021 has become more challenging due to the ongoing uncertainty related to COVID-19 and the fact that most ice rinks will be reopening in September/October 2021 after an 18-month closure period.
Our priority is the health and wellbeing of curlers and we are committed to getting curlers into their local ice rinks when they reopen and help them to become comfortable curling in the ice rink that they are used to playing in. For this event in particular we want to ensure curlers can enjoy both the on ice and social aspects of the day as we have done in the past.
We are hopeful that in 2022 we will all have returned to more normal circumstances and be able to plan for an Indoor Grand Match without restrictions. We will consult with ice rinks on the best possible date for the event in 2022 and will communicate the notice in good time.
Clubs who have yet to request a refund can do so by completing the refund form here. Alternatively entry fees can be retained for the 2022 event. Please note requests for refunds will be processed by BACS by the end of the June 2021.
Best wishes,
Bruce Crawford
CEO | Scottish Curling
Scheduling the event for 2021 has become more challenging due to the ongoing uncertainty related to COVID-19 and the fact that most ice rinks will be reopening in September/October 2021 after an 18-month closure period.
Our priority is the health and wellbeing of curlers and we are committed to getting curlers into their local ice rinks when they reopen and help them to become comfortable curling in the ice rink that they are used to playing in. For this event in particular we want to ensure curlers can enjoy both the on ice and social aspects of the day as we have done in the past.
We are hopeful that in 2022 we will all have returned to more normal circumstances and be able to plan for an Indoor Grand Match without restrictions. We will consult with ice rinks on the best possible date for the event in 2022 and will communicate the notice in good time.
Clubs who have yet to request a refund can do so by completing the refund form here. Alternatively entry fees can be retained for the 2022 event. Please note requests for refunds will be processed by BACS by the end of the June 2021.
Best wishes,
Bruce Crawford
CEO | Scottish Curling