More Rink Championship at Forfar Indoor Sports

The famous Rink Championship trophy awaits the 2012 winners. Note too the sponsors that Mike Ferguson, owner of Forfar Indoor Sports, has attracted for the event.

Martin Sutherland (skip), John Jo Kenny, Andrew Penker and Dougie McKenzie (K2 CC, Kinross) matched up against Kenny Kinnear, David Brown, Peter MacKay and Robin Brydone, (Airleywight CC, Perth) in the final today.

One end was key, the fifth. Perth landed a big four and although the Kinross team came back strongly, Kenny and his team had a three shot lead coming down the last. It was enough.

In the semi, Sutherland's team had beaten Hugh Neilson (Lanarkshire) by playing an angle raise takeout with his last stone in a tied game.

Kinnear's side had come through their semi against the John Penny team (Aberdeen), when Penny was too long with his last stone draw which needed to touch the four foot to win the game.

All the results and standings are here.

Bob Myles, the Leader of Angus Council, and Claire McLaren, representing the Royal Club, made the presentations. Bob, a curler himself, has competed in the Rink Championship many times in past years, and played one game this weekend! L-R: Bob Myles, Robin Brydone, David Brown, Claire McLaren, Kenny Kinnear and Peter MacKay.

(Double celebration in the Kinnear household this weekend, as young Callum Kinnear was in the winning U-14 Slam team, see here.)

Runners-up: Andrew Penker, Martin Sutherland, John Jo Kenny and Dougie McKenzie.

We liked this one, when we caught Claire McLaren, Royal Club Ladies Branch President, giving the trophy the once over!

And a final thought from Forfar, which will have a resonance for all the competitors. Here are some of Mike Ferguson's marbles, which he had misplaced!

Actually, what an innovative idea to have marbles as the local 'currency'. I wonder if they will be acceptable behind the bar at Greenacres, or Stranraer?

Photos © Skip Cottage

Rink Championship at Forfar: Back of the Bus and Other Stories

I'm at Forfar today for the playoff stages of the RCCC Rink Championship. This is from the quarterfinal between Perth and Forfar 3. Perth won this, stealing at the last end. All the results are here.

Robin Brydone delivers with David Brown and Peter MacKay at the ready.

Kenny Kinnear is in the head for Perth, with Ron Caithness and Mike Ferguson behind.

Two thirds. John Jo Kenny and Sandy Nelson in a local derby between two Kinross teams. Martin Sutherland's team won through to the semifinal over David Clydesdale.

Here's Robert Anderson of Ayr, with Alison Cunningham the sweeper. Ayr lost at the last stone against Hugh Neilson's Lanarkshire team.

Ian Gillespie congratulates his skip Gary Macfarlane on a good shot. The Braehead team lost out to John Penny's Aberdeen in the quarterfinal.

John Penny and Kenny Kinnear in the semifinal.

Hugh Neilson and Martin Sutherland in the other semifinal.

By all accounts this has been a great weekend, on and off the ice. The Forfar Indoor Sports minibus was put to good use, transporting competitors to their various guest houses and hotels. That's Jill Donald and Alex Donald.

No jokes please, about Eve Muirhead and the Back of a Bus!

Photos © Skip Cottage.

Another Busy Weekend

Another busy weekend is in prospect. I've already mentioned the World Junior Championships in Sweden, and the marathon curling at Dumfries. Also to keep an eye on this weekend is the RCCC Rink Championship, at Forfar Indoor Sports for the first time. Twenty-four teams play in four sections. Follow the results here.

The second leg of the Asham Under-14 Slam is on Saturday at Curl Aberdeen. Sixteen teams are signed up for this event.

At Kinross, there's a wheelchair curling competition for the SWCA Friendship Trophy, see here.

And at Stranraer sixteen teams will curl for charity tomorrow in a Marie Curie Cancer Care Day.

The AGM of the Kinross Curling Trust will be held on Sunday, March 4, at 2.00 pm at the Green Hotel. There are just three nominees for the three places on the board, so there will be no elections. The nominees are Alastair Hibbert, Malcolm Strang and Bob Tait.