Last Post on Perth

Kay Adams will be Team Muirhead's fifth player in Moscow, and David Edwards will fill that role for the David Murdoch team.

The photo above is by Tom Brydone and shows David Murdoch's last stone on the way down the ice to the poppy, swept by Richard Woods and Ross Paterson, and watched behind by Scott Andrews and Michael Goodfellow. I understand it was a close hard fought game, of the highest quality. While many congratulations are due to David and his team, I cannot help but have sympathy for Tom Brewster, Greg Drummond, Scott and Michael. But, above all, it is great to see that we have two teams of such quality this season.

A number of blogallies have been in touch, questioning the fairness of the way the Euro Qualifying was run this season. They point out, amongst other things, that Brewster played Murdoch five times over the weekend. Brewster won three of these encounters, Murdoch just two. Yet it is Murdoch who will be in Moscow.

Hindsight is a great thing of course, and I wonder if the Royal Club Competitions Committee ever discussed the scenario that eventually played out at Perth. At the end of the double round robin, Team Brewster had won all six games, and the other three teams had each won just two. That of course, was put to one side, with the second part of the event, a 'best of three', beginning with a completely clean slate. Perhaps it would have been fairer if the record of the teams had been carried forward into the playoff, as one poster on the Scottish Curling Forum has suggested, see here.

Do we know anything of the deliberations of the Competitions Committee on this subject? The minutes of the committee last March talk about 'two options', but there is no detail. You can download the minutes from this page if you want to try and understand this further. And if you are disturbed by the way the weekend turned out, you should certainly express your concerns to one of the committee. They are:
Alan Durno (Convenor)
Colin Hamilton (Manager of Competitions)
Anne Donald (Minutes Secretary)
Clive Thomson (ASC)
Bill Duncan (ASC)
Eve Muirhead (Players Rep)
Pat Edington (President)
Bill Duncan (Vice-President)
Bob Kelly (Board)
Anne Malcolm (Board)

Photo © Tom Brydone

Murdoch for Moscow

Congratulations to David Murdoch, Glen Muirhead, Ross Paterson and Richard Woods who have won the right to represent Scotland at the European Championships in Moscow, defeating Tom Brewster, Greg Drummond, Scott Andrews and Michael Goodfellow in the tenth end of the third playoff game at Perth this evening.

The linescore is here.

Playoff update

Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Claire Hamilton will be Scotland's representatives at the Le Gruyere European Curling Championships in Moscow, December 2-10. The women were undefeated this weekend at the Dewar's Rinks in Perth, winning two straight today in the playoff against Kerry Barr and her team of Lorna Vevers, Rachael Simms and Barbara McPake.

In the Brewster v Murdoch playoff, Team Murdoch won the second of the 'best of three' and so this competition will go to a third, and deciding game, later this evening.

The scores are all here.

Playoffs at Perth

It was first blood to the Eve Muirhead team this morning in their 'best of three' playoff. Above L-R: Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams, Claire Hamilton. The team beat Sarah Reid's side, with Kerry Barr skipping, see here.

Here's Kerry and her team. L-R: Kerry Barr, Lorna Vevers, Rachael Simms, Barbara McPake.

Tom Brewster and his team had to steal the tenth end to count their first point in the 'best of three' playoff against David Murdoch's side in the men's competition, see here. L-R: Tom Brewster, Greg Drummond, Scott Andrews, Michael Goodfellow.

L-R: David Murdoch, Glen Muirhead, Ross Paterson, Richard Woods.

Photos © Tom Brydone

Euro Qualifying Update

David Edwards beat Sandy Reid in the first round of tiebreakers at Perth today, and then faced David Murdoch. Murdoch won that, and so it will be David Murdoch, Glen Muirhead, Ross Paterson and Richard Woods who will contest the 'best of three' playoff tomorrow against Tom Brewster and his team.

In the women's event, Sarah Reid beat Jackie Lockhart at an extra end, then got past Hannah Fleming's team in the second tiebreaker. So it will be Sarah Reid, Lorna Vevers, Rachael Simms and Barbara McPake who will contest the playoff with Eve Muirhead's team tomorrow. Note however that Kerry Barr has been standing in for Sarah who has been unwell.

The linescores are all here.

The playoff games begin at 10.00 tomorrow, Sunday.

Top photo: Kerry Barr substituting for Sarah Reid. Photo © Tom Brydone.

More Perth Pix

Tom Brydone offered to be my 'eyes' at Perth. Thanks Tom. Here is a small selection of photos he's taken of the action these past couple of days.

Sarah Macintyre and Kay Adams sweep skip Jackie Lockhart's stone.

Eve Muirhead in full voice.

Abi Brown and Alice Spence, the front end for Team Fleming.

Barbara McPake (nee McFarlane), lead for Team Reid.

Sarah Macintyre, lead for Team Lockhart.

Tom Brewster.

Photos © Tom Brydone

Into Tiebreakers at Perth

There are eight teams competing in the European Qualifying Competition at Perth. The four men's teams and four women's teams have completed their double round robins. How many teams have been eliminated from contention?

Well, actually none.

In the men's event, the Tom Brewster team has beaten all the others, twice, but according to the rules this year, they have to wait while the second placed team is decided so they can play a 'best of three'. The teams skipped by Sandy Reid, David Murdoch and David Edwards are all on two wins and four losses. Edwards brought his own side back into contention by beating Murdoch this morning.

The women's event looks similar. Eve Muirhead's rink has beaten the other three twice, and awaits who they will play in the playoffs. The teams skipped by Hannah Fleming, Jackie Lockhart and Sarah Reid are all on two wins and four losses.

See the standings and linescores, and follow the tiebreaker results here.

Thanks to Tom Brydone for the pic of the David Edwards team in action last night. Colin Campbell and Scott Macleod sweep their skip's stone.

European Qualifying Friday

After four games, the teams of Tom Brewster and Eve Muirhead held undefeated records in their competitions to find Scotland's team for the Le Gruyere European Curling Championships in Moscow. In this evening's fifth round, David Murdoch, already on two losses, faced up against Brewster. It was to be another win for Tom with Greg Drummond, Scott Andrews and Michael Goodfellow, as they won through in a game that only went eight ends.

In the women's competition, Eve, with Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Claire Hamilton maintained their perfect record by defeating Jackie Lockhart's side.

You can see the standings here.

In tomorrow's final games of the double round robin, Sandy Reid plays Brewster and David Edwards faces Murdoch. On the women's side, Lockhart plays Sarah Reid and Muirhead is against Hannah Fleming.

In past years the top team would have gone forward. Indeed, the competition would now be over. However, this season the rules are that the top two teams in each section will then play a best of three to find the teams for Moscow. Who will be second in each section is very much in the air!

Euro Qualifying Thursday

After two rounds of play today, David Murdoch, Glen Muirhead, Ross Paterson and Richard Woods had banked their first two wins against Sandy Reid (in an extra) and David Edwards. So too had Tom Brewster, Greg Drummond, Scott Andrews and Michael Goodfellow against David Edwards and Sandy Reid.

In the women's competition, Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Claire Hamilton also recorded two wins on the first day, against Sarah Reid and Hannah Fleming.

The Royal Club website is back up and running again, so all the results can be found here.

The competition continues with three rounds of play tomorrow (Friday) beginning at 09.00.

Top: Richard Woods and Ross Paterson sweep a Glen Muirhead stone.
Above: Eve Muirhead calls line as Anna Sloan and Vicki Adams sweep Claire Hamilton's stone.

Photos © Tom Brydone

Looking for results?

If you are looking for the draw and results from the European Qualifying at Perth, then go HERE.

The competition gets underway at noon today.

Destination Moscow

(The Royal Club is "Experiencing some downtime on our website this afternoon" according to its Facebook page. This means that the links in my post below to Royal Club pages are not active. I'll update these when our governing body's website gets back online.)

NB: A temporary site for draw and results is here.

Scotland's representatives for the European Curling Championships to be held in Moscow, December 2-10, will be decided at the qualifying competition at the Dewar's Centre in Perth, which begins tomorrow (Thursday). The draw is here.

Four men's teams and four women's teams are involved. I've already commented on how these teams were selected for the qualifying competition, see here.

The men's competition will be contested by teams skipped by Tom Brewster, Sandy Reid, David Murdoch and David Edwards, and the women's competition by Eve Muirhead, Hannah Fleming, Jackie Lockhart and Sarah Reid.

The teams will play a double round robin and the top two after that will play 'best of three' to find the winners. I'm unable to be in Perth this week, but will be following the results online on the Royal Club website.

Who's for Moscow?

The European Curling Championships will be held in Moscow, December 2-10. Who will be Scotland's representatives then will be decided at a special qualifying competition at the Dewar's Centre in Perth, October 27-30.

The four men's teams and four women's teams which will contest for the right to represent us in Moscow have been decided and have (quietly) gone online recently on the Royal Club website. They are the teams skipped by Tom Brewster, Sandy Reid, David Murdoch and David Edwards, and Eve Muirhead, Hannah Fleming, Jackie Lockhart and Sarah Reid.

The European Qualifying Competition has not been without its controversy in the past. It seems that every year there is something new and different to get your head around. Those who like democracy, transparency, logic and adherence to regulations should again go and sit in a darkened room this year! Mind you, I know few Vulcans who curl!

Let's start with the regulations for entry (for 2011-12, see here) which say, "(i) If a playdown is required to find representative teams for the European Championships, the two finalist teams from the previous season’s Scottish Championships will be invited to compete in the European Playdowns. (ii) To be eligible to participate in the European Playdowns a qualifying team must have the fourth player and two other players from the previous season’s team that entered the Scottish Championships (excluding any substitute(s) who shall not count towards the eligibility criteria). (iii) The Head Coach, along with an RCCC Sub Committee for the competition, may select one or more teams to participate in the Playdowns. The number of qualified teams plus selected team(s) will not exceed four."

However, it turns out that these are the rules which will apply next year. Colin Hamilton, the Royal Club's Manager of Competitions, explains, "The selection of teams was done on last season's rules ie top three teams. Next year's rules will be the two finalists, this was to give the two Head Coaches more of an input to who will play in these playdowns."

In the men's event, three teams met the criteria, ie those skipped by Tom Brewster, Sandy Reid and David Murdoch. The last has been forced to change his team recently, and it does not now meet the criteria, but it is not likely that this will change anything. David Edwards with his team of John Penny, Scott Macleod and Colin Campbell is the wild card team pick. This is a completely new team, untried in men's competition, but was picked for the Performance Squad.

Of course with any 'selection' there are those who could have been considered and might well be wondering why they were not. For example Logan Gray's team, also in the Performance Squad. Or even the Frazer Hare team, an unsupported side, which reached the Bruadar tiebreakers back in February, and has an eligible lineup this season.

In the women's competition, there were two teams which met the lineup eligibility of having the same fourth player and two others - Hannah Fleming and Jackie Lockhart. These will be joined by the Eve Muirhead and Sarah Reid teams from the Podium and Performance Squads. This means that all four women's team who are in the World Class Programme play off for Moscow.

I was pleased to see that the October competition will involve four teams of each gender, rather than three. Colin Hamilton confirms that those involved in the decisions felt that having four teams on the ice at the same time was better than having to give teams byes. The teams will play double round robins. It should be an exciting event. The draws are here.

David Edwards, whose mixed team won the European title last season. Photo © Skip Cottage.

European Qualifying update

I have to complete the coverage of the European Championship Qualifying Competition by (re)posting this pic of Team McMillan (L-R: Hammy McMillan, David Smith, Ross Paterson and Sandy Gilmour) who will be our representative team in the men's event of the Le Gruyere European Curling Championships in Champery, Switzerland, December 3-11. There is a summary of the Perth event on the Royal Club website here.

David Murdoch will be the alternate, a role he played at the World Championship last season in Italy. David Hay is the coach. I hear too that Kate Brewster will have the head coach role for the squad in Champery, not Derek Brown.

On a personal note, I'd like to thank those of you who have found the 'Donate Button' in the past weeks. Your contributions helped towards the new laptop I wanted (needed), and this got its first outing this weekend. Thank you all very much indeed.

That's me on the left, in a pic courtesy of James Hustler, with my new Apple Mac Pro. I should also say I'm wearing a new top from blog supporter British Curling Supplies. It's the new smart image (!) for Skip Cottage Curling. Thank you to Tom Pendreigh.

Fundraising continues. More curling stones should go on sale soon to help pay for a wee trip to Champery in December, all being well and I'm hanging together still by then. I just have a notion to check out the Swiss railway system, and will make that coincide with the European Curling Championships, to support the Scottish teams, and bring you my take on what's happening on and off the ice! I have a feeling that the WCF and ECF meetings might well be interesting this year. It was fun to be involved in Aberdeen - see here - although I won't have a companion this time. I wonder how Coo has fared this past year?

Saturday selection from Perth

Well, that's it done and dusted much earlier than might have been, and Scotland now has its two representative teams for the Le Gruyere European Curling Championships. Here are a few more pics from the Dewar's Centre on Saturday, on and off the ice.

Gail Munro delivers, with Alison Mather and Kerry Adams-Taylor in attendance.

Glen Muirhead and Hammy McMillan

Hammy

Hammy delivering, with Sandy Gilmour and Ross Paterson at the ready. Jill MacDonald, in the background, was on the umpiring team for the competition.

Warwick Smith

Ross Hepburn and Glen Muirhead work on David Murdoch's stone.

Happy Halloween to everyone! "Self portrait of Bob"

The new timeclocks were in action and working well. This is Ann-Maree Davidson. Now famous for .......... (I've been bribed not to say!) But the good news was that all the equipment was OK!

Ewan MacDonald gets down to it.

This is a caption competition. Team MacDonald. Clean suggestions please!

Bill and Cindy, and Sheila and Bill from the Plainfield CC in New Jersey were visiting Perth today and showing everyone what the well dressed mixed curling team should be wearing!

The explanation for this photo of Lynn Cameron and Brad Askew will become clearer in the next week or so. Just think 'New Year'!

Perhaps you will remember that James Dryburgh featured on some archive footage from 1991 on the blog recently (see here). Here he is at Perth today with his children Oma and Alexander.

Pics © Skip Cottage

European Qualifying Session 5: It's McMillan

This was the position going into tonight's session at the European Qualifying Competition at Perth. McMillan set to play Murdoch. If McMillan was to win it would be all over. So what happened?

The linescore is here.

The key shot for me was Hammy's raise takeout to make three shots at the ninth and take a two shot lead into the last end.

With a Team Murdoch stone half-hidden to take away for the trip to Europe, Hammy wasn't going to miss. Hammy McMillan, David Smith, Ross Paterson and Sandy Gilmour are on their way to Champery!

Scotland's women at the Euro Championship

Team Muirhead will represent Scotland at the Le Gruyere European Curling Championships in Champery, Switzerland, December 3-12. Anna Sloan, who played both games for the team yesterday, will be the alternate. Here are the girls! L-R: Anna Sloan (alternate), Annie Laird (lead), Lorna Vevers (2nd), Kelly Wood (3rd) and Eve Muirhead (skip)

Pic © Skip Cottage

European Qualifying Session 4: Muirhead will be in Champery

The second session today at the European Qualifying Competition at Perth was a repeat of yesterday's first round games, the second cycle of the double round robin. Eve Muirhead had Lorna Vevers back in her side for the rematch against Gail Munro. That's Lorna delivering in the photo above.

An epic battle indeed, the teams tied at 6-6 after eight. It went to an extra, with Gail holding last stone. Eve made a good freeze with her last. Gail chose not to follow and attempted a raise takeout. It didn't come off! Eve had stolen (again) at an extra end, and with that, she and her team are on their way to Champery!

The linescore is here.

David Murdoch, one win and one loss, was again up against Ewan MacDonald, his team winless in both his previous games. This was close until the seventh end, Ewan's last stone a touch heavy with the consequence of giving David two against the head, and a 5-3 lead. Ewan tied up the scores in the tenth.

David, with the opportunity to win with a last stone draw, didn't make it for shot. Team MacDonald had stolen the game!

The linescore is here.

Pics © Skip Cottage

European Qualifying Session 3

Hammy McMillan's team, with a win against Murdoch last night, faced Ewan Macdonald's side, losers in their opening match yesterday, in the 09.30 session this morning. Hammy struck early with a three at the second and was 4-3 up coming home with the hammer. It was to be another victory for Team McMillan.

That's the McMillan team above. Sandy Gilmour and Hammy are watching as Ross Paterson and David Smith bring in their skip's stone.

The linescore is here.

In the women's competition, Sarah Reid matched up against Gail Munro this morning, both having lost their games against Eve Muirhead yesterday. It was a one-sided encounter, and team Munro ran out winners 10-3 after just seven ends.

Barbara McFarlane and Kay Adams sweep their skip's stone as Kerry Adams-Taylor, Alison Mather and Gail Munro watch from the sideline.

The linescore is here.

Photos © Skip Cottage

Friday Selection

Here are a few of my favourite pics from yesterday. Above, Robbie Scott, Royal Caledonian Curling Club President, makes a presentation to Colin Grahamslaw in recognition of his time as the Royal Club CEO. Colin is now the WCF General Secretary.

Team Murdoch in action.

I'd be happy if I could take more pics like this one. That's Ross Hepburn and Glen Muirhead looking after their skip's stone.

Pat Edington is the chief umpire, here measuring with Hammy McMillan looking on!

What is the significance of the numbers on their backs? Suggestions are "Kelly's height in inches." "Eve's REAL age." Over to you.

Men at work. David Smith and Hammy McMillan.

You have to guess who these hardworking sweepers are!

It was good to meet the Royal Club's new CEO, Bruce Crawford, yesterday. Bruce was busy networking at Perth yesterday, getting involved in the big world of curling. A keen and knowledgeable sportsman, he's a family man in his early 40s. I wish him every success as he gets to grip with all facets of his new job.

Photos © Skip Cottage

European Qualifying Session 2

The two teams which sat out the first rounds of the European Qualifying competition at Perth this afternoon were on the ice tonight. Above, Hammy McMillan, David Smith, Ross Paterson and Sandy Gilmour had their first game against David Murdoch's team.

You will find the linescore here. Hammy controlled the game after counting a three in the fifth. He was three up coming home with the hammer. It would be a point on the board for the McMillan team.

Barbara McFarlane, Kay Adams, Kerry Barr and Sarah Reid faced Eve Muirhead's side in their first game. This was a close one, the teams tied 4-4 after eight. Team Reid took a single in the ninth. Eve had last stone coming home. She needed it, playing a cracker to clear away a frozen Reid stone to lie one, possibly two. A measure was needed, but the Reid stone was closer, and Muirhead only counted the single. It was into an extra end, the score 5-5.

The extra was messy with lots of stones in play and guards out front. Sarah had a difficult draw to cut the edge of the four foot to win, but she just feathered the guard and stopped inches short. It was another win for Team Muirhead.

Pics © Skip Cottage