Pages

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Catching up

I missed quite a few things during my Aberdeen sabbatical!

Let's catch up with just two. My spies tell me that Ross Paterson (skip), Sandy Gilmour, Hamilton McMillan and Graeme Copland won the Glasgow Audi Braehead Open. I'm trying to source a photo of the winners and when I do, it will be here.

Ross and his team beat Graham Shedden (skip), Gary Cannell, Chay Telfer and Graeme Hay in the final, in a tight game which went to an extra end.

Here's Robin Shand's report:

"Ross Paterson saw off Anna Sloan, and two times previous winner Graeme Shedden put paid to Fergus Corbett, to secure their places in the High Road final which, with big money at stake, would prove to be a very close encounter. Peeled at 5s after regulation play, an extra end at 11pm was all we needed. Lying two against at the top of the eight foot, Ross was faced with playing at no more than hack weight with his last rock - he required to do no worse than tap and roll in slightly - and it was played perfectly. Victory by less than 2 inches!

The Low Road winner would either be ex golf club pro Jack Steven or Ian Gillespie (with the venerable Charles Jackson, Area 4 Secretary, throwing 3rd rocks) as they were the only two teams on maximum points after the early schenkel games. On straightish ice, it was Ian who got the early break and he never looked back. The old campaigner, Gary MacFarlane, leapfrogged Jack to take second slot."

Thanks Robin.

Another significant success was for the GB wheelchair curling team in Lausanne, December 5-6. Tom Pendreigh reports that GB came into the competition with a bit of form having made the final of the Ottawa tournament the previous weekend. They started well and continued the good form to top their section and make the final to play the Swiss team from Strasbourg CC.

In the deciding game, Team GB took a five in the second and stole three more in the third, on their way to the win.

There's more from Tom here.