tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33691416550204512782024-03-14T06:04:10.279+00:00Skip Cottage CurlingBob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comBlogger1803125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-81709581427963333662013-01-23T15:24:00.001+00:002013-01-23T15:41:19.282+00:00Blog ClosedThis blog closed down last May. There are no plans to revive it. Sorry to those who have asked.<br />
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All posts are in the archive, on the right, under the blog roll. Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-87537608965564185012012-05-05T09:59:00.000+01:002012-05-05T09:59:47.049+01:00Final CurtainI think it's time to say that the 2011-12 season is over, and that's it for Skip Cottage Curling. Very many thanks to everyone who has helped me in my efforts to keep the blog going. I am sorry that I am not able to continue it.<br />
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All 1,800 posts will stay up for the foreseeable future, as a record of the past three years.<br />
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Good curling everyone! <br />
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FIN </div>Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-10588869587723827492012-05-03T09:32:00.002+01:002012-05-03T09:32:37.358+01:00A Summer Challenge for You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vxbByLoixwE/T58Dm0Sp5LI/AAAAAAAAc-s/U_p6hen55tc/s1600/Places-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vxbByLoixwE/T58Dm0Sp5LI/AAAAAAAAc-s/U_p6hen55tc/s400/Places-1.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
Many of you reading this may never have had the opportunity to curl outside. Of course, that used to be the only way to experience the sport. It wasn't until the twentieth century that much of the game moved indoors. Still, outdoors continues when it can. If you were really lucky you were playing on the Lake of Menteith (above) on this fine day in 2010! <br />
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Perhaps you are aware of the project to map all the historical 'curling places' where the sport is known to have been played in Scotland and England. David B Smith kicked this off by making a record of all the places
where a game of curling had taken place. He went through all the <i>Annuals</i> of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. He found 'places' in old minute books of curling clubs as well as in newspapers, and books. David then pored over old maps in the National Library of Scotland, in the days before these were available on line. All told, he found more than 2500 sites. Quite an accomplishment! <br />
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David's list was originally a Word document, but thanks to Lindsay
Scotland and Harold Forrester, the information has been
put into a database and from that database onto a map. The map entries
link to the underlying database which records the original references,
and where possible there are links to photographs and old maps. The project has <a href="http://www.historicalcurlingplaces.org/" target="_blank">its own website here</a>, and is ongoing.<br />
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Now there's a chance for YOU to get involved, in one of two ways. Firstly, there are a number of 'places' which remain unidentified. Lindsay writes, "There are quite a number of places for which we have a name and description, but we have been unable to find on a map. Can you help? In many cases local or archaic place names are used, which will never be found with a search engine or on a map. However, someone with local knowledge might recognize the name and location." Check out his 'Unfound' list, a subset of the Scottish Curling Places tab, on the website <a href="http://www.historicalcurlingplaces.org/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I'm scratching my head over some of the Dumfries and Galloway locations. For example, there is a listing (No 1097) for Curlingwater Loch, Kirkcudbright. I wonder if this is a miss-transcription of Carlingwark Loch, near Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire, which is a well known 'place' (No 0045 on the list).<br />
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If you want to see what outside curling was like, the 'further info' page on Carlingwark has a link to a fantastic piece of video, from 1952, of the Queenshill Cup, see <a href="http://www.europafilmtreasures.eu/FT/314/about-the-film-the_queenshill_cup_at_castle_douglas" target="_blank">here</a>. Let's just say that not every day was like the picture at the top of today's post. But not even a bit of water seemed to spoil the enjoyment back in 1952!<br />
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There's another way you can help. What about getting out with your camera, and photographing what the places on the map near where you live are like NOW? Look at the historical curling places map. Zoom in. Find the green dots in your area.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N-Kzs8NTQ1c/T5-wECigmAI/AAAAAAAAc_Q/yhaNRzdyFlk/s1600/Curlingplacesmap-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N-Kzs8NTQ1c/T5-wECigmAI/AAAAAAAAc_Q/yhaNRzdyFlk/s400/Curlingplacesmap-screenshot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
There may well be plenty 'places' to choose from. Just look at all the dots in the Perth area, in this screenshot of the map. Clicking on a dot will bring up the information about the site on file. Can you add to this information?<br />
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You might wish to consult the old OS 6inch maps, available online, see <a href="http://www.nls.uk/maps/" target="_blank">here</a>, or <a href="http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Or just set out with a camera to find what's there now.<br />
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It can be quite a challenge, certainly. There may well be no trace of the place - other than a street name. But even that would be interesting. Many sites are overgrown. Whatever, Lindsay Scotland and Harold Forrester are set to put your photos on the supplementary pages accompanying each entry in the database. Lindsay's email address is on the website <a href="http://www.historicalcurlingplaces.org/" target="_blank">here</a>. Make sure you indicate from which direction you took the photo, and any other observations you made on your visit.<br />
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Here's a couple of examples of what you might find, based on my own experiences recently. I had been writing about the curlers of Abington, <a href="http://curlinghistory.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/welcome-home.html" target="_blank">see here</a>, and I wondered where they might have played locally. The Historical Curling Places map site gave me two locations. I checked these out on the old OS 6inch maps, translated the locations to a modern OS 1:25000 map (Explorer 329), packed my camera, and set out to see what I could discover.<br />
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The first (Historical place No 0978) was easy to find. The site - the brownish area in the photo above - lies somewhat to the south of Abington village, east of the railway line, map reference: OS NS 933 221. It's been a natural pond, fed by a small stream running down the hillside behind. All overgrown now, and though there's no standing water, it's still a boggy place. I wonder if any of the passengers on the trains coming down the West Coast Main Line are even aware of this historical curling site, in use in the nineteenth century. I'm guessing here, but I suspect it might have been superseded by the man-made pond in the village itself, see below.<br />
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At first I thought it had been easy to find where the other Abington pond used to be, just beside the road on the west of the village, near the bowling green which is still in use (Historical place No 2170. Map reference OS NS 930233). It's shown clearly on maps from the close of the nineteenth century, so it must have been played on by this time. But where exactly was the pond? I found a derelict tennis court, which at one time has also been used for five aside football. The area has been landscaped at some point relatively recently, with a car park.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XPbiSB5l0Eo/T58Drv07B5I/AAAAAAAAc_E/jvN_ETcY4Ho/s1600/Places-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XPbiSB5l0Eo/T58Drv07B5I/AAAAAAAAc_E/jvN_ETcY4Ho/s400/Places-4.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
Next to the old tennis court, the fence of which is on the right, is a flat area which I wondered might just have been the curling pond itself - not a natural pond but perhaps a clay-lined area that could be flooded. There are old steps and railway sleepers set into the bank at the rear of this photo.<br />
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It was only when I got home and studied the old maps again in some detail, that I realised that the photo above IS an old bowling green, and the curling pond was behind me, and had become the new bowling green! Fortunately, I did take a photo of the bowling green. So, here it is, the site of the Abington curling pond in the late nineteenth and well into the twentieth century:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pSmCuFBxVw/T6D9tthHpMI/AAAAAAAAc_c/LHKqx9xmKxI/s1600/Places-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pSmCuFBxVw/T6D9tthHpMI/AAAAAAAAc_c/LHKqx9xmKxI/s400/Places-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This is shown as the 'Curling Pond' in the 1957-1962 Lanarkshire 1:10,560 map, and still as a 'Pond' in the 1980 Lanarkshire 1:2,500 map, which also shows the tennis court and the 'old' bowling green. You can see the general layout of the area as it is now in satellite view on Google maps.<br />
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The moral of the story is that it pays to check the location carefully on the old maps before you set out. (As an aside, sometimes the NLS website is slow, or even unavailable. The <a href="http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html" target="_blank">Old Maps site</a> is often easier to use, and has more maps available.)<br />
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What now? Of course, there may be records, or even photos of the Abington rink in use. 1980 is recent enough that perhaps some Abington residents may well remember when their bowling green was a curling pond!<br />
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But every curling place will have its own history. Just how often were they used? Are there details in old minute books which show who played and when? There would seem to be no end to the information that's out there waiting to be discovered about our curling heritage.<br />
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Could you contribute to building up the information in the curling places project?<br /><br /> PS: Two young New Zealand filmmakers, Rachel Patching and Roland Kahurangi, have made a documentary about outdoor curling in the Naseby area in Central Otago. There's a link to the trailer <a href="https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/Crowd/Details/107" target="_blank">here</a>, where you might also like to contribute to a fundraising effort to bring the short film to the Edinburgh Film Festival. There's another teaser <a href="http://vimeo.com/31133165" target="_blank">here</a>. More <a href="http://www.curling.org.nz/index.php/news/1/767-gone-curling-takes-our-heritage-to-the-world" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /> <a href="https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/Crowd/Details/107"></a><br />
<i>Photos © Skip Cottage</i>Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-88698543526933885972012-05-02T12:40:00.000+01:002012-05-02T12:40:06.876+01:00Behind the GlassRobin Copland has penned a new Behind the Glass editorial, see <a href="http://behindtheglasscurling.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>, stimulated by the recent Performance Selections.<br />
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I am acutely aware that the curling world, as I once knew it, is changing in so many ways. Copey highlights some of these changes today.<br />
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Make sure you bookmark <a href="http://behindtheglasscurling.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Behind the Glass</a>, now a standalone site separate from Skip Cottage Curling, to follow the stories in the months (years) ahead.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-26728299095059734192012-05-01T12:34:00.000+01:002012-05-01T14:23:58.817+01:00More on Performance SelectionsThe names of the athletes selected to the British and Scottish Performance Curling Programmes for the 2012-13 season were announced this morning. There are eight wheelchair athletes (three women and five men), sixteen women and twenty-one men.<br />
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The announcement is <a href="http://royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org/blog/performance-programme-selections-2012-13/" target="_blank">here</a>, where you can see who made the selections, and I have reposted the names below. I think it is interesting that the curlers are not grouped as teams, as yet. However, from other sources it is clear that the Tom Brewster team of Greg Drummond, Scott Andrews and Michael Goodfellow - and now including David Murdoch - will operate as a five man squad, the fixed lineup to be decided by Soren Gran, the national coach in due course.<br />
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Logan Gray's team will be Ross Paterson, Alasdair Guthrie and Richard Woods, the lineup that did so well at the recent European Masters in St Gallen. Richard and Ross were the Murdoch front end last season. Glen Muirhead also receives support - I am presuming he will go back to skipping his own team again.<br />
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Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Claire Hamilton remain as an unchanged unit. Hannah Fleming's team of Lauren Gray, Alice Spence and Abi Brown, the Scottish and World Junior Champions are all listed, although I hear that this may not be the team for next season!<br />
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So too are Kyle Smith, Thomas Muirhead, Kyle Waddell and Kerr Dummond, winners of the <a href="http://scottishcurlingtour.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Scottish Curling Tour</a>, Scottish Junior Champions, and World Junior bronze medallists.<br />
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The wheelchair squad remains the same as last season, the seven from last year being joined by Robert McPherson who moves up from last season's SWCA Spokes Development Squad. <br />
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<b>MEN <br />Podium</b><br />
Scott Andrews<br />
Tom Brewster<br />
Greg Drummond<br />
Michael Goodfellow<br />
David Murdoch <br />
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<b>Performance </b><br />
Kerr Drummond<br />
Logan Gray<br />
Ali Guthrie<br />
Grant Hardie<br />
Scott MacLeod<br />
Hammy McMillan Jnr<br />
Jay McWilliam<br />
Steven Mitchell<br />
Billy Morton<br />
Glen Muirhead<br />
Thomas Muirhead<br />
Ross Paterson<br />
Cameron Smith<br />
Kyle Smith<br />
Kyle Waddell<br />
Richard Woods <br />
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<b>LADIES <br />Podium</b><br />
Vicki Adams<br />
Claire Hamilton<br />
Eve Muirhead<br />
Anna Sloan<br />
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<b>Performance</b><br />
Kay Adams<br />
Mhairi Baird<br />
Abigail Brown<br />
Jennifer Dodds<br />
Hannah Fleming<br />
Lauren Gray<br />
Jennifer Martin<br />
Sarah Reid<br />
Hazel Smith<br />
Alice Spence<br />
Lorna Vevers<br />
Vicky Wright <br />
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<b>WHEELCHAIR</b><br />
Ian Donaldson<br />
Gregor Ewan<br />
Jim Gault<br />
Gill Keith<br />
Tom Killin<br />
Angie Malone<br />
Robert McPherson<br />
Aileen Neilson<br />
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The Royal Club Academy and Talent Programme selections are still to be announced.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-36274078998467786912012-04-30T18:10:00.000+01:002012-04-30T22:17:08.727+01:00Brewster and Murdoch to join forces<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NmQynyPKPLw/T57GLBZN8iI/AAAAAAAAc90/vw2GDVNRkaE/s1600/Brewster-and-Murdoch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NmQynyPKPLw/T57GLBZN8iI/AAAAAAAAc90/vw2GDVNRkaE/s400/Brewster-and-Murdoch.jpg" width="326" /></a></div>
It has been the talk of the steamie for a while, but it's now in the open that David Murdoch won't be skipping his own team next season, but will be joining forces with current Scottish Champion Tom Brewster.<br />
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The full list of supported teams will no doubt appear soon on the Performance Pages on the Royal Club's website <a href="http://royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org/performance/" target="_blank">here</a>. Following selection meetings last week, today was the day that the athletes themselves were informed.<br />
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Eve Muirhead has already posted on her team's Facebook page that her current team will be in the World Class Performance Programme next season.<br />
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More news as it appears. <br />
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<i>Photo of David and Tom skipping against each other is from the Bruadar Scottish Men's Championship in 2011 and is © Skip Cottage.</i>Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-65459356179427798112012-04-29T15:48:00.002+01:002012-04-29T15:48:43.650+01:00Gold for Switzerland at World Mixed DoublesNadine Lehmann and Martin Rios of Switzerland won the World Mixed Doubles Championship in Erzurum, Turkey, defeating Sweden's Camilla Johansson and Per Noreen in a close final.<br />
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Christian Roth and Claudia Toth won the bronze medals for Austria after defeating Brady and Cristin Clark of the USA in the 3rd-4th decider.<br />
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Find the results <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/home" target="_blank">here</a>, photos <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/galleries" target="_blank">here</a>, and links to match videos <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/live-video" target="_blank">here</a> if you missed the live webcasts.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-57158675207551638322012-04-29T08:30:00.003+01:002012-04-29T14:03:29.219+01:00Erzurum: Playoff Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TZCPy-eC-Jc/T5058P99juI/AAAAAAAAc9o/bXRklYBuSzI/s1600/WMDs-Lee-Voltanspic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TZCPy-eC-Jc/T5058P99juI/AAAAAAAAc9o/bXRklYBuSzI/s400/WMDs-Lee-Voltanspic1.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
Judith McFarlane and Lee McCleary lost to Austria this morning in the quarterfinals of the World Mixed Doubles Championship in Turkey.<br />
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In the other quarterfinals, Sweden beat Canada, USA defeated China, and Switzerland came through against Estonia.<br />
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The lineup for the semis is Sweden v Austria, and Switzerland v USA, the latter game to be webcast. Watch that on the main event website <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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The linescores are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. Photo galleries are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/galleries" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<i>Christian Roth and Claudia Toth are in the background of this photo of Lee encouraging his sweepers (make that, 'Hurry, Judith') is courtesy of Volkan Atar. Volkan is the photographer for the Turkish Ice Skating Federation, and this week has been photographing the World Mixed Doubles. See more of his photos from the event <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/galleries" target="_blank">here</a>. </i> Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-5106290591100221012012-04-28T13:20:00.002+01:002012-04-28T13:20:54.145+01:00Erzurum: Saturday UpdateThere's one tiebreaker to be played today: Denmark v Italy<br />
<br /> At 18:30 local, the qualification game matches Estonia against the winner of that tiebreaker. That game will be webcast on the event website <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/" target="_blank">(here)</a> and on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/worldcurlingtv" target="_blank">WCF YouTube Channel</a>. <br /><br /> Tomorrow the quarterfinal lineup is:<br /> Game 1: Switzerland v winner of qualification game<br /> Game 2: Scotland v Austria<br /> Game 3: Canada v Sweden<br /> Game 4: China v USABob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-89988818690563022032012-04-28T10:24:00.000+01:002012-04-28T10:28:24.129+01:00Carried Shoulder HighI have always enjoyed meeting teams arriving back from championships with medals, usually joining a few family and friends at the airport. Recently I stumbled across a report of a 'welcome home' where the whole village turned out at the railway station to meet returning heroes.<br />
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So if you want to be able to answer the pub quiz question, "What connects the Boy Scouts to the Grand Match?", you will find the answer on the Curling History Blog, <a href="http://curlinghistory.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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(Follow me @Hoglinewamphray on Twitter if you want to receive tweets when occasional curling history articles are posted.) Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-5204254738556351452012-04-28T09:25:00.000+01:002012-04-28T09:26:22.027+01:00Erzurum: Scots reach quarterfinalsA big 'well done' to Judith McFarlane and Lee McCleary who beat Spain this morning in their final round robin game at the World Mixed Doubles Championship in Turkey. That put the Scots on a 6-2 win-loss record in the Yellow section, and they have qualified for tomorrow's quarterfinals.<br />
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Sweden finished with the same win-loss record as Scotland, but the Scots will be ranked first because of their win over the Swedes in their second game. Who Scotland will play will become clearer later today.<br />
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Once all the round robin games in the three sections are complete, and any necessary tiebreaker games have been played, a ranking will be made for first, second and third position in each group. The first and second ranked teams directly qualify for the quarterfinals, as well as the third ranked team with the best Draw Shot Challenge (DSC) result. The other two third ranked teams play a qualification game to decide the last team for the quarterfinals.<br />
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Who plays who will be decided as follows:<br />
(Game 1) 1st best DSC of the 1st ranked teams v winner qualification game<br />
(Game 2) 2nd best DSC of the 1st ranked teams v 1st best DSC of the 3rd ranked teams<br />
(Game 3) 3rd best DSC of the 1st ranked teams v 3rd best DSC of the 2nd ranked teams<br />
(Game 4) 1st best DSC of the 2nd ranked teams v 2nd best DSC of the 2nd ranked teams.<br />
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The scores and standings are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. Photo galleries are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/galleries" target="_blank">here</a>.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-35545118206896423442012-04-27T17:48:00.000+01:002012-04-27T17:56:09.243+01:00Erzurum: Day 5Scotland's Judith McFarlane and Lee McCleary won two more games at the World Mixed Doubles in Turkey today. To judge from the scores, the game against Korea was straightforward, but the Scots needed to count three in the last end to get past Ildiko Szekeres and Gyorgy Nagy from Hungary. That was a key victory, and puts the team on five wins and two losses. One game remains, against Spain, at 08.00 local time tomorrow. A victory then will ensure a place in Sunday's quarterfinals.<br />
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The scores and standings are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. Photo galleries are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/galleries" target="_blank">here</a>.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-59195854148451472062012-04-27T00:18:00.000+01:002012-04-27T00:26:10.321+01:00Watch Ireland Win<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjfn48TfPSY" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HUTVJJJ5E7M/T5nVqaKrivI/AAAAAAAAc9Q/1ZceRSZBj6s/s400/Seniors-2012-screenshot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
If I remember correctly, there were only some 170 or so watching the live webcast of the extra end of the World Seniors Championship, Ireland v Canada. Coach Gordon McIntyre has now posted a YouTube video of the last two stones, so all can experience the Irish success and listen to the excitement behind the glass! <br />
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The video is embedded in the <a href="http://www.irish-curling.org/" target="_blank">Irish Curling Association</a> website, or you can see it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjfn48TfPSY" target="_blank">here</a>, or just click on the image above.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-49670493033940872102012-04-26T17:27:00.000+01:002012-04-26T17:27:57.453+01:00Erzurum: Day 4Scotland's Judith McFarlane and Lee McCleary lost to Australia's Stephen Johns and Kim Forge today at the World Mixed Doubles Championship in Turkey.<br />
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The scores and standings are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. Photo galleries are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/galleries" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Next up for Scotland are Korea and Hungary tomorrow (Friday).Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-12053333725216960582012-04-25T20:51:00.002+01:002012-04-26T17:26:58.794+01:00Erzurum: Day 3Judith McFarlane and Lee McCleary beat Italy today but lost to Denmark at the World Mixed Doubles Championship in Turkey.<br />
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The win leaves Denmark as the only undefeated team in the Yellow Section. The Scots have three wins and one loss. Judith and Lee have just the one game tomorrow (Thursday), against Australia.<br />
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The Denmark game was webcast, the last scheduled screen appearance of the Scottish pair in round robin games, <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/wmdcc-2012-live-coverage-schedule" target="_blank">see here</a>. The full game will no doubt be in the vault in due course. Find it in the list <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/live-video" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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All the scores and standings are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. And photo galleries are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/galleries" target="_blank">here</a>.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-59873314972865670202012-04-24T17:38:00.005+01:002012-04-24T19:53:02.183+01:00Erzurum: Day 2Scotland's Judith McFarlane and Lee McCleary beat Romania in their first game of the World Mixed Doubles Championship in Erzurum. In their second game in the Yellow Section, they faced Sweden, the game webcast, with the teams miked up. The Scots were 7-2 up after six, but gave up four in the seventh to be one up playing the last with the hammer. There the Swedes stole a single, and it was into an extra end. All too exciting! In the ninth, Lee did not need to play his last, and it was a second win for Scotland.<br />
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You will be able to see the full game when it goes into the vault <a href="http://www.youtube.com/WorldCurlingTV" target="_blank">here</a>.The highlights video is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N5xBnfPSb8" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I note too that friends Lorna Rettig and John Sharp, competing for England, are off to a rough start in the Blue Section, losing their first two games. Ireland, also in that section, is represented by Yvonne Chalmers and David Smith and they have had a difficult beginning.<br />
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All the results and standings are <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YPrPTX1D2bg/T5bW0tNnA4I/AAAAAAAAc7k/wQhVKXnBrHY/s1600/Sco-Swe-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YPrPTX1D2bg/T5bW0tNnA4I/AAAAAAAAc7k/wQhVKXnBrHY/s400/Sco-Swe-screenshot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Screenshot from the Sco-Swe game.</i>Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-47497630798861406832012-04-24T10:24:00.001+01:002012-04-24T10:26:54.979+01:00The Child in Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gSNH-qZNEU0/T5ZryPdgY2I/AAAAAAAAc7U/2ZEp1kpwVbM/s1600/Lego-display.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gSNH-qZNEU0/T5ZryPdgY2I/AAAAAAAAc7U/2ZEp1kpwVbM/s400/Lego-display.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
If LEGO played a part in your childhood, you will be impressed with this display <span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">by David MacDonald from Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, which was on show at the recent Sun Life Financial Players' Championship in Summerside, PEI. The photo is by <a href="http://dev.curlingzone.com/" target="_blank">CurlingZone</a>'s Gerry Geurts and he has more pix <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151560912475137.851595.796775136&type=1" target="_blank">here</a>. There's more on the story <a href="http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2012-04-20/article-2960395/Nova-Scotia-man-builds-replica-of-curling-championship-with-LEGO/1" target="_blank">here</a>, with details of how David put the 5,587 pieces together, and how long the project took to complete.</span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">It's not the first time that curling and LEGO have got together, <a href="http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/188315" target="_blank">see here</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">But I think it is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJGVIRZlvs0" target="_blank">this video</a> from 2007 which will bring a smile to your face of a Tuesday. SKIP ROCKS! Enjoy.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJGVIRZlvs0" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tQCFw-zCWrM/T5ZwZSAPPYI/AAAAAAAAc7c/cylvK06otn4/s400/SKIP-ROCKS-screen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-24852392456058224742012-04-23T18:17:00.002+01:002012-04-24T15:45:11.032+01:00World Mixed Doubles in Turkey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MzkETXc9pqM/T5WH07z0OSI/AAAAAAAAc7M/bHRBzZ5iVXA/s1600/Mixed-doubles-screen-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MzkETXc9pqM/T5WH07z0OSI/AAAAAAAAc7M/bHRBzZ5iVXA/s400/Mixed-doubles-screen-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
If you had said to me say, five years ago, that I would be watching <b>live</b> coverage of a complicated pairs format of curling from eastern Turkey one evening in April 2012, I would probably have laughed. How fast is the pace of change in the curling world.<br />
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And it's great!<br />
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The first round of the World Mixed Doubles in Erzurum has just begun. See <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. The World Curling Federation's link with YouTube is proving to be as solid as it was with the World Juniors. Commentary this time is by a Norwegian (Sander Rølvåg) and a Swede (Sara Carlsson), in English, on a game between Italy and Spain. Good choice of game to webcast too, with young players on both sides, and good to show this now the event has been severed from the its association with the World Seniors. You may remember that the same two young Spaniards took Scotland to the last stone in Vierumaki four years ago, see <a href="http://curlingtoday.blogspot.co.uk/2008/03/world-mixed-doubles-tuesday-scotland-v.html" target="_blank">here</a>. They were just thirteen and fifteen years old then.<br />
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Twenty-seven countries are involved!<br />
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I've always been a big fan of Mixed Doubles. We have a Scottish MDs championship. Next season, this will be held at the Dewar's Centre in Perth. Perhaps some tuning in to watch this week's world event, might be tempted to enter. Entry forms are already available for download, <a href="http://royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org/competitions/mixed-doubles/" target="_blank">here</a>. Next year the World MDs are to be in Canada, the venue still to be announced. (ADDED LATER: Just announced, they are to be in Fredericton, New Brunswick, <a href="http://www.curling.ca/2012/04/23/fredericton-to-stage-2013-world-mixed-doubles-and-world-senior-curling-championships/" target="_blank">see here</a>.)<br />
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Scotland is not on in this round in Erzurum. Judith and Lee will play their first game tomorrow morning against Romania, and will be on the ice again later in the day against Sweden. That game will be webcast. See the full schedule <a href="http://www.wmdcc2012.curlingevents.com/wmdcc-2012-live-coverage-schedule" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<i>Top photo is a screenshot from the WCF/YouTube webcast.</i>Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-22469307643525794792012-04-23T10:23:00.002+01:002012-04-23T10:57:21.611+01:00Tell Us What You ThinkIt has always been in the back of my mind to have my own 'awards' for the rinks I visit on my travels round the country. You know the sort of thing. 'The Best Bacon Buttie', 'The Warmest Welcome', 'The Cleanest Toilets'. I could also have done the 'alternative' awards, such as 'The Worst Food', or the 'I was made to feel like dog shit' award.<br />
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I thought better of it, of course, as when one commits these things to print there can be consequences down the line! So my opinions have stayed in my head. Safe to say though, that I have received a warm welcome in almost every rink I have visited in the last ten years, and that's all of them!<br />
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But it was good to see that one rink, Forfar Indoor Sports, is doing its own survey to get feedback on how the complex might get better, as it looks ahead to next season. I think this shows courage, as well as a commitment to improve. So if you've played at Forfar this season, here's your opportunity to say if you found the ice to your liking. Or even if you have just visited, perhaps as a parent or supporter, you can say if the other facilities on offer were up to standard. <br />
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<a href="http://www.forfarindoorsports.co.uk/" target="_blank">Go here</a>, and do it now! You don't get asked often.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-39976165993547608292012-04-23T00:47:00.000+01:002012-04-23T00:52:11.466+01:00On Approach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bj3i1OC1Fy8/T5SSpHu9G7I/AAAAAAAAc6M/EnSmYkgBA24/s1600/Senior-Silver-at-airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bj3i1OC1Fy8/T5SSpHu9G7I/AAAAAAAAc6M/EnSmYkgBA24/s400/Senior-Silver-at-airport.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Here they are! World Senior Silver Medallists (L-R) Maggie Barry, Barbara Watt (skip), Jean Hammond and Val Mahon back from Denmark last night, at Edinburgh airport where they were met by family and friends. It was a bit special, I have to say. Well done to the team, not forgetting Judith Carr, the alternate who gave the team great support.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7AQrC8f-Lk0/T5SSgXt6i2I/AAAAAAAAc6E/L0pyeJFqetY/s1600/Irish-welcome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7AQrC8f-Lk0/T5SSgXt6i2I/AAAAAAAAc6E/L0pyeJFqetY/s400/Irish-welcome.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Note to self. "Must get a hat." For my next visit to meet homecoming teams. This was the Irish welcome! Kathie and Jim Nixon flank John Burns.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c0Ygl4zQroY/T5SZgRDmY3I/AAAAAAAAc6U/EvoadUc7ZvE/s1600/Irish-gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c0Ygl4zQroY/T5SZgRDmY3I/AAAAAAAAc6U/EvoadUc7ZvE/s400/Irish-gold.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here are just two pieces of Irish Gold, Dave Hume, the alternate, and John Jo Kenny, skip of the World Senior Champions - IRELAND. There's a photo of the whole team <a href="http://www.irish-curling.org/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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And <a href="http://www.irish-curling.org/ICA%20%20Presidents%20report%20AGM%202012.html" target="_blank">read here</a> to see just how close the Irish are to having their own dedicated curling ice in Dublin! Fingers crossed.</div>
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<i>Photos © Skip Cottage </i></div>Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-51816796232909336262012-04-22T09:42:00.000+01:002012-04-22T09:42:07.049+01:00Weekend SummaryLogan Gray, with Ross Paterson, Alasdair Guthrie and Richard Woods, finished as runners-up to Norway's Thomas Ulsrud at an extra end in the final of the <a href="http://www.europeanmasters.ch/index.php?id=130&L=1" target="_blank">European Masters</a> in St Gallen. Tom Brewster's team lost the fifth-sixth playoff to Switzerland's Peter de Cruz.<br />
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Eve Muirhead and her team won just one game of seven at the <a href="http://www.grandslamofcurling.com/en-us/sunlifefinancialplayerschampionship.aspx" target="_blank">Sun Life Financial Players' Championship</a> in Canada, and did not make the playoffs. The competition was won by Stefanie Lawton.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-54159270762982864732012-04-21T15:20:00.002+01:002012-04-21T16:31:43.954+01:00Silver Scotland in TaarnbyBarbara Watt, Jean Hammond, Maggie Barry and Valerie
Mahon were beaten by Heidi Hanlon's Canadian side in the final of the World Senior Women's Championship in Denmark this afternoon. Scotland then have won the silver medals. Well done to our women! Sweden beat New Zealand for the bronze.<br />
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John Jo Kenny's Irish team of Bill Gray, David Whyte and Tony Tierney took Kelly Robertson's Canadians to an extra end in the men's final. With just two stones to come, John Jo and his team looked in trouble. But the Irish skip played a run back triple (!), and lay on the edge of the four foot. The Canadian skip was then too heavy with his draw for the game. Irish GOLD! Wonderful stuff.<br />
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Sweden won the men's bronze medal game.<br />
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The results are <a href="http://www.cuponline.nu/information.asp?cupid=1775" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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John Brown's reports from the rink are in Toothy Tales, <a href="http://toothyscurlingtales.blogspot.co.uk/">here</a>. Louise Kerr's blog is <a href="http://www.irish-curling.org/WorldSeniorsDailyBlog2012.htm">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZJ3dLlI4kk/T5LIybzpIFI/AAAAAAAAc50/eZVgCzEgrOE/s1600/Irish-Screenshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZJ3dLlI4kk/T5LIybzpIFI/AAAAAAAAc50/eZVgCzEgrOE/s400/Irish-Screenshot.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<i> I found another webstream, this one with commentary from the Canadian Curling Association's Bill Tschirhart and was able to watch the last few ends of the men's final. This screenshot is not Photoshopped. I hope the Irish supporters might just pose a photo of John Jo next to the advertising on the scoreboard. As Ireland's first curling deity, John Jo and his team have improved Ireland's standing in the curling world immensely, and justified the support from their sponsors, see <a href="http://www.albert-bartlett.co.uk/press" target="_blank">here</a>.</i>Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-19887171942442268302012-04-21T10:39:00.003+01:002012-04-21T10:52:11.553+01:00Taarnby SemifinalsVery well done to Barbara Watt, Jean Hammond, Maggie Barry and Valerie Mahon (and alternate Judith Carr) for reaching the final of the World Senior Women's Championship. The Scots defeated Sweden in this morning's semifinal, and will now meet Canada, who beat New Zealand in the other semi, in this afternoon's championship decider.<br />
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In the men's event, Canada beat Sweden. But congratulations to John Jo Kenny's Irish squad who beat Norway at an extra end, to set up an Ireland - Canada final! <br />
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The results are <a href="http://www.cuponline.nu/information.asp?cupid=1775" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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John Brown's reports from the rink are in Toothy Tales, <a href="http://toothyscurlingtales.blogspot.co.uk/">here</a>. Louise Kerr's blog is <a href="http://www.irish-curling.org/WorldSeniorsDailyBlog2012.htm">here</a>.<br />
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<i>I watched the last few ends of the women's game on the UStream webcast. Lo-res, fixed camera, no commentary, but it was still terrifyingly exciting! Honestly. The Scots were three up with the hammer playing the last, and everything seemed to go wrong. Facing a bundle, Barbara froze with her first. Ingrid Meldahl played the runback, but left Barbara with an open hit for the game. That's the position above. She made it perfectly. That's the Ireland-Norway extra end going on in the background.</i></div>Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-2369574804825269872012-04-20T20:27:00.000+01:002012-04-20T20:27:49.285+01:00Quarterfinals at TaarnbyKeith Prentice and his Scottish team lost to Canada in their quarterfinal match at the World Seniors in Denmark this evening.<br />
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In other games, Ireland beat Finland, Sweden beat New Zealand, and Norway beat Australia. <br />
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The results are all <a href="http://www.cuponline.nu/information.asp?cupid=1775" target="_blank">here</a>. John Brown's reports are <a href="http://toothyscurlingtales.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369141655020451278.post-62779874050682744532012-04-20T15:58:00.001+01:002012-04-20T15:58:09.514+01:00Another Taarnby UpdateScotland beat Switzerland at an extra end and Keith Prentice and his team are through to the quarterfinals of the World Senior Men's Championship in Taarnby. That means the lineup for this evening's quarterfinals is: <br /><br />
Canada v Scotland<br />
Norway v Australia<br /> Ireland v Finland<br /> New Zealand v Sweden<br />
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Follow the results <a href="http://www.cuponline.nu/information.asp?cupid=1775" target="_blank">here</a>.Bob Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14181424471290305561noreply@blogger.com