L-R: Pekka Peura (3rd and vice), Juha Pääjärvi (lead), Janne Ojanperä (2nd) and Markus Sipilä (skip) from Finland were the winners of the Middle Road at the Braehead Open yesterday. They were telling everyone of their new website curlingcalendar.com, which seeks to collect information about international bonspiels and curling tournaments from all countries. This should prove to be a useful resource. So, are you organizing a bonspiel or do you know a date and place of a curling tournament? Then, don't hesitate - login with your Facebook account and add the tournament to the bonspiel calendar. Don't worry if you don't know all the details, other members of the curling family can update the information later.You've heard of the Calendar Girls. Markus and his colleagues are the real Calendar Boys!
John Tait, Robert Tait, Brian King and Gavin Jackson were just one of the teams that brought colour to the proceedings at the weekend.
Rosemary Lenton lines up her shot, with Angela Higson as her buddy, with Jim Taylor looking on.
Team Wales here. "That's definitely a Greek frigate going up the river."
Adrian Meikle. "I've never seen anyone as far off the brush as that!"
Aileen Neilson. "I'll just ask my mum what she thinks."Paralympian Aileen was skipping a family rink spanning three generations. Daisy Neilson played second.
Aileen's nephew, Andrew Neilson, played third. And Michael McCreadie threw lead stones.
"I'll just bang my head off the barrier a few times, and I'll be fine!"
So that takes us to the final itself. Here David Soutar and Alasdair Guthrie sweep Lindsay Gray's stone. And no, David's trousers haven't changed colour in the wash. He was substituting for Iain Stobo (see team photo here).
Barbara McFarlane and Kay Adams are ready on Sarah Reid's stone.
I watched some of the game from the Braehead Curlers' Bar. The big screens there receive feed from cameras overhead and on the end walls. This was an initiative of the Braehead Curlers Development Group, and are a great help.
It was an excellent final.
Sarah's team try to make two in the last end. But on the day the women were just pipped for the big prize.The presentation photo is here.
Photos © Skip Cottage
