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Sunday, January 16, 2011

Junior Championship semifinals

Back at Aberdeen for finals' day at the Scottish Junior Championships. Let's start with the Junior Men. Ally Fraser, Blair Fraser, Thomas Sloan and Kerr Drummond got off to a great start in their semifinal, taking three in the first end. Jay McWilliam, Grant Hardie, Struan Wood and Ian Copland tried what they could to get back, but were always chasing. They were two down playing the tenth, without, and Ally ran them out of stones with his first.

Ally's side will meet the John Penny team, for the third time this week, in the final this afternoon.

In the junior women's semifinal, Hannah Fleming dominated, after Helen King gave up a three in the third end. Hannah, Alice Spence, Becca Kesley and Abi Brown were not going to be caught after that, and went into the last end three ahead. Helen, Hazel Smith, Sarah Wood and Eilidh Templeton have to settle for bronze, as last year.

Team Fleming will now meet Eve Muirhead's side in this afternoon's final.

You can find the linescores here.

Hannah watches her stone. Abi and Alice are the sweepers.

These are the vice skips in the head, Becca in front, Hazel behind.

Helen has played, and Sarah and Eilidh are looking after the stone.

Struan has played the stone, and Ian and Grant are the sweepers.

Blair delivers, with Thomas and Kerr on hand.

Ally in front, Jay behind.

There's always plenty of supporters at the junior finals, family and friends feeling as much stress off the ice as the players on the rink!

Here's a rather better photo of Performance Director Dave Crosbee (nearest the camera) than I had on the blog on Friday.

The passion, the drive, the stress, the adrenaline .... the sweat. And that's just the coaches. Tom Pendreigh nearest the camera.

Photos © Skip Cottage