Still on the Scottish

I enjoyed the BBC Scotland broadcast of the Bruadar Scottish Men's Curling Championship tonight, just as much as I appreciated last night's programme on the women. I see that the latter is now available for the next week on the BBC iPlayer. The link is here. I assume tonight's programme will also be available later.

Robin Copland has written a splendid piece with his views of this year's Scottish Championships. Find it here, or link to Behind the Glass, on the right.

Well played

I've just watched the BBC Scotland broadcast of the Columba Cream Scottish Women's Curling Championship from 7-8 pm tonight. I really enjoyed it.

For a start it was great to be able to watch BBC coverage on the big screen at a time of the evening when I'm not falling asleep - usually this programme goes out in the wee hours. Despite actually having been at Perth, and knowing the result, it was still interesting to watch, for all sorts of reasons. My goodness though, these cameras are intrusive, they really get inside your nose! I wonder if the girls enjoyed seeing themselves on camera in such detail!

I thought the coverage was good. Curling on the box lends itself to the 'package' treatment, and not always to a whole game which can be uninteresting in parts to many. A whole end - the key one - was shown, and there should be no-one asking, "Is it only the skips that get to throw the stones?"

The commentary was good. Bob Kelly is experienced in that role nowadays, although Jackie came over as too laid back, and those of us that know her will realise that her 'commentator's voice' is not the real Jackie at all. It was a hard day for the two of them, commentating all the way through the live webcasts of two games. They did well, not dumbing down what they said for the non-curlers out there, but still explaining well what was going on.

Good ice too was on show with lots of swing, and some excellent shotplay. I found myself studying deliveries and releases too, even although I'm usually watching through a camera lens.

Would a non-curler have enjoyed the broadcast? Certainly, what was on the screen was a far cry from the 'old man's game' impression that some still hold of our sport. My opinion was that it was an hour of good advertisement for curling. It will be interesting to see if the package from the men's game is as good. That's tomorrow night (Wednesday) again at 7 pm. I dare say audience figures will be available in due course.

The fashion critic in me is just glad that Abi and Becca were able to keep on their red tops, or it would have been the team in black playing against the team in black, as both teams were wearing their National Academy tops. BBC once said, I believe, they would refuse to show curling unless teams dressed sensibly! DTD. But I digress, as usual.

Talking of the National Academy, I think a quiet 'well done' should go to Rhona Martin and her assistant Brad Askew who have looked after the Royal Club's National Academy programme in recent years. Both finalist teams have been supported through the National Academy, not the Scottish Institute. I hope they were proud to see their charges fighting it out in the finals, as I'm sure the two coaches, Isobel Hannen and Debbie Knox, were too.

Yes, well played!

Photo is © Skip Cottage. Anna is shouting, with Hannah and Becca behind.

More from Perth

They are smiling in this photo, but I bet this morning the Hannah Fleming team must be feeling disappointed (make that really gutted)! The juniors (Abi Brown, Becca Kesley, Alice Spence and Hannah Fleming, with their coach Debbie Knox, above with their silver medals) lost in the final of the Columba Cream Scottish Women's Championship yesterday to Anna Sloan, their first (only) defeat in the competition. It was a fantastic performance, and in thirty years time when they look back at their successful curling careers, I am sure it will be a one which they will happily remember with pride, despite the defeat yesterday.

David Soutar, Scott Macleod, Moray Combe and Sandy Reid with their silver medals. Great to see an unsupported team reach the final. They could easily have been Bruadar champions, losing only at the last stone to Team Brewster. If those in charge of Scottish curling needed encouragement to pay attention to the whole of the sport rather than just supporting a few top players, then surely this past week has proved that our game has quality in depth and should be cultivated. Let's all try to ensure that the 'all the eggs in one basket' approach is consigned to history!

Here's Greg Drummond, Team Brewster third player, who didn't appear in many of my photos yesterday. He gets the last word.

So, that's it from the 2011 Scottish. The finals are set to be televised tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday on BBC 2 at 7 pm.

Tom Brewster, Greg Drummond, Scott Andrews and Michael Goodfellow will now travel to Regina, Saskatchewan, for the Ford World Men's Curling Championship, April 2-10. Duncan Fernie will be their alternate.

Anna Sloan, Claire Hamilton, Vicki Adams and Rhiann Macleod will represent Scotland in the Capital One World Women’s Curling Championship, March 18-27, Esbjerg, Denmark. Eve Muirhead will be the alternate - and just that, not a tactical substitute. I understand that it has been made clear that it is Anna's team, and they will not need to be looking over their shoulders if they have a bad game.

I'm looking forward now to being back at the Dewar's Centre in a couple of weeks for the World Junior Curling Championships when of course Eve, Anna, Vicki and Rhiann will be playing together for Scotland then. Alice Spence from Team Fleming is their alternate at Perth. See you there?

Photos © Skip Cottage

Columba Cream: Women's Final Post 3

Anna Sloan, Claire Hamilton, Vicki Adams and Rhiann Macleod are the Columba Cream Scottish Women's Curling Champions, after beating Hannah Fleming, Alice Spence, Becca Kesley and Abi Brown in the final.

The linescore is here.

Becca Kesley watches line on her skip's stone, with Claire Hamilton and Anna Sloan behind.

A conservative start to the final saw Fleming forced to take one at the fourth end. With last stone for the first time in the game at the fifth, Anna attacked. Team Sloan played the perfect end, the skip making her last stone takeout for a three going into the fifth end break!

Hannah faced two in the sixth, and hit and rolled out. The steal saw the Sloan team 4-1 ahead.

Coming down the eighth, Team Fleming trailed 2-4, and Hannah played a first class hit and roll behind the guards with her first stone to set up a steal. But Anna was up for the response, playing an angled raise takeout, removing the Fleming counter on the button and staying in its place. Hannah tried to get to it, but caught the guard. Anna drew for three and a 7-2 lead.

There were two ends to play, but Anna, Claire, Vicki and Rhiann had their names on the trophy.

Anna Sloan

Hannah Fleming delivers, Abi Brown and Alice Spence are the sweepers.

Fans in the stands

A vuvuzela spotted for the first time at Scottish curling finals!

Anna Sloan

"So you're Batman!" Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams, Rhiann Macleod

Photos © Skip Cottage

Columba Cream: Women's Final Post 2

Bob Kelly and Jackie Lockhart are the commentators for the webcast. The link is here.

The teams parade, piped on by Gillie McNab.

Coach Debbie Knox, Abi Brown, Becca Kesley, Alice Spence, Hannah Fleming.

Coach Isobel Hannen, Rhiann Macleod, Vicki Adams, Claire Hamilton, Anna Sloan

Photos © Skip Cottage

Columba Cream: Women's Final Post 1

Dougie Vipond interviews the two skips, Anna Sloan and Hannah Fleming prior to the start of the Columba Cream Scottish Women's Curling Championship.

Now, everything here is set up for the final to be webcast. People have been asking me, "Where's the link! I've been asking "Where's the link?" Perhaps it's being kept a secret? If I find out I'll let you know. Meanwhile all I can suggest is that you look out for the information on the Royal Club website!

In the meantime, a great final is in prospect. Hannah Fleming, Alice Spence, Becca Kesley and Abi Brown (average age 19) are against Anna Sloan, Claire Hamilton, Vicki Adams and Rhiann Macleod (average age 20).

Follow the linescore here.

Pics © Skip Cottage

Columba Cream: The Semi

Jackie Lockhart, Karen Kennedy, Kim Brewster and Sarah Macintyre had lost the Page 1-2 game and now they had their 'second life' against Anna Sloan, Claire Hamilton, Vicki Adams and Rhiann Macleod, who deposed the Eve Muirhead team in the Page 3-4.

Anna, the recently crowned Winter Universiade Champion, seemed the more confident of the skips. She had command of draw weight and, up 2-1 after seven, drew perfectly hidden with her last of the eighth. Jackie was forced to take on the second Sloan counter, and didn't get the roll she needed. Team Sloan stole a single and were ahead 3-1 with just two ends to play.

They stole a single at the ninth when Jackie was just too heavy drawing against three. Three ahead coming home, Anna held her nerve with two great takeouts, both having to scrape the guard, and ensured her team would be in the final against Hannah Fleming tomorrow.

Great stuff. Two young teams in the Scottish women's final. Dawn of a new era!

The linescore is here.

The pic of Anna Sloan is © Skip Cottage

Bruadar: First Page Games

Let's start with the Page 3-4 game, because the loser is out, and takes no further part in the competition. David Murdoch, Warwick Smith, Glen Muirhead and Ross Hepburn were against
Logan Gray, Alasdair Guthrie, Lindsay Gray and Iain Stobo who had come through two tiebreaker games.

A steal at end 4 saw Murdoch's team take the initiative, and when they counted another single against the head in the seventh, they had the game in the bag. Team Murdoch will now meet the loser of the Page 1-2 (see below) in the semi tonight.

That's Logan Gray in front in the photo above. The linescore is here.

David Murdoch

Logan Gray

The Page 1-2

The Page 1-2 matched Tom Brewster (pic above), Greg Drummond, Scott Andrews and Michael Goodfellow against Sandy Reid (skip), Moray Combe (fourth), Scott Macleod and David Soutar.

This one went to the wire, the teams tied coming down the tenth, the Reid team holding the last stone. Brewster got behind the lone guard with his last, forcing Moray Combe to draw the four foot.... and he did. The linescore is here.

Team Brewster faces Murdoch in the semi tonight at 20.00.

Moray Combe

Photos © Skip Cottage

Columba Cream: First Page Games

The Columba Cream Page 3-4 game saw Eve Muirhead, Kelly Wood, Lorna Vevers and Annie Laird up against the team which had come through two tiebreakers to meet them. Anna Sloan, Claire Hamilton, Vicki Adams and Rhiann Macleod led 3-2 after five and stole a three when Eve's last tapback against three Sloan stones in the sixth seemed to pick up and caught the front counter. That gave Anna's side a 6-2 lead.

Muirhead, up against three friends who will be her teammates at the World Juniors next month, fought back. But when Anna chipped away a near frozen Muirhead stone to count two in the eighth for an 8-4 lead it looked certain that we would have new champions this season.

The linescore is here.

Team Muirhead is out, and Team Sloan progresses to meet the losers of the Page 1-2 game, see below.

Top photo shows Kelly Wood in the house with Anna and Claire behind.

The Page 1-2

Hannnah Fleming had skipped her team of Alice Spence, Becca Kesley and Abi Brown, runners-up in the Scottish Junior Championships, to seven victories in the event, without loss. Would she make it eight wins in a row and gain a place in the Scottish Final?

Jackie Lockhart, Karen Kennedy, Kim Brewster and Sarah Macintyre stood in their way. A three at the third got the juniors in front and they held on, one up coming home with the hammer. They were able to keep the front clear and Hannah's last stone was on target to remove Lockhart's counter for the win!

Jackie is in the hack, with Sarah and Kim ready for action!

Eve can concentrate entirely on the World Juniors now.

Photos © Skip Cottage

Columba Cream: Tiebreaker 2

Anna Sloan, Claire Hamilton, Vicki Adams and Rhiann Macleod, having beaten the Sarah Reid team in the first tiebreaker, faced a vastly experienced opposition in Gail Munro in their second playoff game at the Columba Cream Scottish Women's Curling Championship tonight.

It was a closely contested affair and the teams went down the tenth tied at 5-5. Anna knows how to steal though and it was Vicki's draw to the button just to tap back a Munro stone which set up the position which the team were able to guard and guard again. Gail's last stone, a promotion attempt, was just off line, and it will be Team Sloan which meets Eve Muirhead in the Page 3-4 game at 15.00 tomorrow.

Above is Anna's hard working front end Rhiann Macleod and Vicki Adams on Claire Hamilton's stone.

Lyndsay Cumming joins in the sweeping with Sarah Ferguson and Kerry Adams-Taylor on their skips stone.

The tiebreak linescores are here.

Jill MacKay of the Scottish Liqueur Centre interacting with the fans and making sure that we all know the taste of Columba Cream and Bruadar!

Photos © Skip Cottage

Columba Cream: Tiebreaker 1

Anna Sloan and Sarah Reid (front in the pic above) matched up in the first tiebreaker this afternoon. When they had met earlier today in the last round of the Columba Cream Scottish Women's Championship, it had gone to the last stone.

This time Anna, Claire Hamilton, Vicki Adams and Rhiann Macleod established an advantage early and were 5-1 up after six ends. Anna was playing some great shots, and got her team out of trouble in the seventh, although Team Reid (Sarah with Kerry Barr, Kay Adams and Barbara McFarlane) still picked up two, only to lose three to Sloan in the eighth.

Sloan was two in front coming down the tenth with the hammer and had the game won on Anna's first stone. Next up ..... Gail Munro later this evening.

You will find the linescore here.

Anna Sloan

Anna readies her stone, with Rhiann and Vicki.

Kerry Barr and Sarah Reid discuss options.

Sarah Reid

Here Kerry is in charge of the house, with Claire and Anna behind.

Photos © Skip Cottage

Columba Cream: Draw 7

Hannah Fleming has been the star turn of this week's Columba Cream Scottish Women's Curling Championship. Her team of Alice Spence, Becca Kesley and Abi Brown went into this morning's game undefeated. They faced the might of the GB Olympic team, and World silver medallists, in Eve Muirhead, Kelly Wood, Lorna Vevers and Annie Laird. And beat them! Seven wins from seven games. Team Fleming will meet Jackie Lockhart's side in the Page 1-2.

This was the key game of the final round draw. Could Anna Sloan beat Sarah Reid? If she could that would keep Anna, Claire Hamilton, Vicki Adams and Rhiann Macleod still with a chance of qualifying.

Great game. Tied coming down the tenth, with Sloan lying two when Sarah went to play her last. Her attempt at the double just overcurled a fraction and although the second Sloan counter was moved, it stayed in the four foot to give Anna and team their win.

Barbara McFarlane is in the hack for Team Reid, with Kerry Barr and Kay Adams.

So there would be one tiebreaker. Would there be another?

This was a big game for Gail Munro. If her team could beat Jackie Lockhart, second in the standings, then they could still be involved in tiebreakers, depending on other results.

So who won? Can you guess?

Sarah Ferguson delivers, Lyndsay Wilson and Kerry Adams-Taylor at the ready.

Sarah Macintyre is the only one who seems to see a way out of the pickle Team Lockhart is in this end. L-R: Karen Kennedy, Sarah Macintyre, Kim Brewster and Jackie Lockhart.

You can find all the linescores and standings here.

So what happens now? Reid, Sloan and Munro all had the same win-loss record. No one of these had beaten the other two. Gail's team had the best average draw shot result over six games, after discarding the worst score. So Team Munro gets the bye to later today. Sloan plays Reid (again) at 15.15 pm, the winner to play Munro for a place in the Page 3-4 game against Eve Muirhead.

Photos © Skip Cottage

Twenty Questions You Always Wanted To Ask

Helen King - she of the Team King blog and now too old at twenty-one - brought her non-curling friend Joyce (nearest the camera) to watch some of the Columba Cream Scottish Women's Championship at Perth yesterday. She noted down some of the questions that Joyce posed about what was happening. A sort of 'questions you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask".

These included:

1. Why does one person stand at the other end of the ice?

2. Why do they sweep the stones?

3. Why did they not sweep that stone into the circles?

4. Why did they have three people sweeping?

5. Why do they have stopwatches on their brushes?

6. Does it matter what colour of circle the stones land in?

7. Why did the other skip sweep their stone?

8. What are the clocks for?

9. What happens if you run out of time?

10. What kind of shoes are they wearing?

11. How does the scoring work?

12. Why is only one sole slippy?

13. Who decides the tactics?

14. Who goes first?

15. Why do you blank an end?

16. Do you always slide up the centre line (Ed note - I've removed the name of the team they were watching!)

17. What's a hack?

18. Is it not who has most stones in the circles that scores the most?

19. What are these women in black doing hovering around the end of the rink?

20. Is there any chance that we will see the bat?

Helen is working on the answers and is intending to publish these soon as "Joyce goes to watch the curling." The film rights are under discussion!

Pic © Skip Cottage

Columba Cream: Draw 6

This was a big game this afternoon. Team Fleming was undefeated after five rounds. Sarah Reid's side had won three of their five games. That's Sarah calling, Hannah behind, in the pic above.

How did it go? You can find all the results and standings here. It turned out that the juniors were the stronger on the day and it was all over after eight. Hannah Fleming, Alice Spence, Becca Kesley and Abi Brown remain on top of the pile, six wins from six starts!

Jackie Lockhart won her game and her team are on five wins and one loss.

Eve Muirhead and Anna Sloan had a close one, the game tied going down the tenth. Eve had the hammer and used it to draw the four foot for the win. Eve is now on four wins.

The last round robin game is tomorrow (remember that one draw was postponed). Fleming v Muirhead, Sloan v Reid, Gray v Howard, and Lockhart v Munro is the card, with the Sloan-Reid game the important one to decide the fourth qualifier for the page playoffs. Fleming and Lockhart will contest the Page 1-2. Muirhead is already playing on Saturday, but who against? It could be Reid, but if she loses to Sloan there would be a tiebreaker as both would have the same record of wins. Gail Munro is not out of it. If she beats Lockhart and Sloan wins then there will be three teams on the same record for fourth spot. I hope you are all following! The standings are here if you want to check that I've got it right.

Here are a few more photos from the Fleming - Reid game:

Kerry Barr in front, with Becca and Hannah behind.

Here's the Reid team. Barbara McFarlane is throwing, Kerry Barr and Kay Adams ready to sweep.

Abi and Becca are the sweepers.

Becca and Hannah consider their new occupation!

Passion from Hannah!

Abi and Alice. "Nervous, not us!"

Becca plays second stones and takes the head for her skip's stones.

Photos © Skip Cottage