In the Open Air

It bills itself as the World's Greatest Open Air Curling Tournament. The forty-fourth Coppa Romana will be held January 8-11, in Silvaplana, in the east of Switzerland. Seventy-six teams are lined up for this year's event, see here. I'm just hoping that the photo on the programme cover (above) is not an example of a new style of curling team uniform. That might indeed be taking 'colourful curling' a step too far.

Or maybe not.

Seriously, there are lots of photos from last year's event here, and I've even discovered some video of the 2010 competition here. Looks like great fun.

I know what you're thinking. "What about Scotland's Grand Match?" This was last held of course in 1979. Certainly, the conditions were such that the Match could have been held in each of the last two years, but, as has been discussed fully, the necessary permits and permissions were not in place then, and the opportunities passed by. This year, according to Royal Club Board Member Trevor Dodds, featured on national television, everything is in place should conditions be right this season for the Match to go ahead on Piper Dam.

I cannot confirm this. Yes, the Royal Club's Grand Match Committee met on November 15, 2011, see here, but the minutes of this meeting 'will be posted once they have been ratified'! Ratifying minutes is a long and difficult task, apparently part of our governing body's policy to ensure that members don't learn in a timely fashion what it is doing. Shame, really.

Not that it makes much difference, as this mild winter passes by. Time yet of course, although the latest date that a Grand Match has ever been held was on February 15, see here.

Curling on Landward

BBC Scotland's Landward programme on Friday featured a piece about curling, and the Grand Match. You can watch this on the BBC iPlayer here, until December 23. The curling bit is near the end of the programme.

I found it very interesting, particularly the old footage of play at Carsebreck in the 1930s (I think) and from the Lake of Menteith in 1979. Judith McFarlane gave presenter Euan McIlwraith a lesson at The Peak, Stirling. And Royal Club Director Trevor Dodds assured everyone that if we get nine inches of ice at Piper Dam this winter the Grand Match will go ahead. Apparently, we did have nine inches last year.

Six hundred teams played in 1979. So there were 2,400 curlers taking part. There were also extra rinks marked out and further curlers participated, unofficially, on these. At the very most, there were 2,700 players on the ice at the Lake of Menteith. Jim Paterson, convenor of the Grand Match committee, now tells us in the Landward programme that there was an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 spectators. I do not believe this to be true. Jim is suggesting is that there were two or three spectators for every player on the ice. I put it to you that exaggeration like this does the Royal Club a disservice!

But whether there were a few hundred spectators, or a few thousand, doesn't really matter. It was a great day, the experience of a lifetime. I know, I was there. There would be a lot more spectators if the Grand Match was to be held these days. How many would turn up to watch? I believe it is this uncertainty that is of particular concern to the organisers and to the emergency services.

There's an excellent article, on the Royal Club website here, written by Theresa McDougall, about the 1979 Grand Match, although the photos that once accompanied the text have sadly disappeared.

Top: Screenshot from the BBC iPlayer recording of the Landward programme, showing Judith McFarlane coaching Euan McIlwraith at The Peak.

Screenshot showing curlers at Carsebreck. I suspect this is the 1935 Grand Match but stand to be corrected. Look out for the steam train in the background of one of the shots. Carsebreck had its own siding for the special trains which brought curlers to the venue.

Screenshot showing the Lake of Menteith in 1979.

Six inches

The BBC Scotland television news this evening had a report from Piper Dam, with speculation that there might be a Grand Match soon. Indeed, the reporter noted there was already six inches of ice at this venue, under some snow.

I enjoyed watching the archive footage of previous Grand Matches in the report.

David B Smith has written a post for the Curling History blog here, on the dates on which previous matches have been held.

Grand Match latest

Could it really happen?!

Colin Grahamslaw, the Royal Club's CEO, has released the following this afternoon:

The Grand Match Committee met today (5th January) to discuss the potential for a Grand Match. The sites at Piper Dam and Loch Leven are not currently playable as both have a covering of frozen snow. The Committee is hopeful that the Lake of Menteith can be used and a number of meetings will be held with various local partners and authorities over the next couple of days to try and make it happen. The ice level is currently between five and six inches (a minimum of seven inches are required for a Grand Match). There was a light dusting of snow in the area last night, weather conditions permitting, it is hoped that a Grand Match may be called early next week (week beginning the 11th January).

A further update will be issued on Friday 8th.

This news will send a lot of club members scurrying to look out their outside gear!

Grand Match news

I note that the Royal Club has sent out a general press release about the Royal Club.

"Many people have been enquiring about the possibility of a Grand Match taking place. All of us at the Royal Club are excited at the prospect of a Grand Match taking place for the first time since 1979.

The Royal Club has two approved sites based primarily on safety and accessibility. These sites are at Piper Dam near Dundee and on Loch Leven near Kinross. Both of these sites are being monitored closely but are covered in frozen snow, making play impossible at the moment. We need a slight thaw followed by another cold snap before these locations will become playable.

The site of the Grand Match in 1979, Lake of Mentieth, was removed from the list of approved locations a number of years ago for various reasons. There is a meeting later today to discuss how these issues might be overcome. The ice needs to be seven inches thick before play can commence and five inches before the Royal Club will mark out the rinks. All the locations currently have more than four inches of ice.

We at the Royal club are keeping our fingers crossed…….. "