Another from the archive

Today's old video footage is rare, it having been broadcast in 1989 only on Grampian Television, not over the whole network. Certainly I had never seen it before, and did not even know of its existence. It was sent to me by Allan MacLennan who played in the televised game, way back then!

The footage, of the final of the RCCC Rink Championship, is special in another way. The team which won was subsequently disqualified. The Annual for 1989-90 declares that the 1989 Rink Championship was 'declared void' because of 'an irregularity in the composition of the team which won the competition'!

There's little point now in going back into all the details. These are set out in the Annual, in the report of the AGM. An administrative error meant that John Deakin was not listed as a 'Regular Member' of the Reform Curling Club, even though he played regularly for that Club. It was all in the days before a computer database of members was held at Cairnie House. The decision of the Royal Club at the time, which may well have been made according to the letter of the law, was not much in the spirit of the game, in my opinion. But again, I'm biased. I am proud to be one of the founder members of Reform!

John wrote a letter to the Scottish Curler which appeared in the September 1989 issue, in which he defended himself vigorously. He concluded by saying, "I have been tried, judged and sentenced without being afforded any formal process of appeal. As a competitive curler I accept umpiring judgements no matter how controversial they may be. However, I ask 'Do you consider the judgement and sentence fair?' I leave that decision to your conscience."

Sadly, not long thereafter, John Deakin died. And that makes this video of John competing on the ice in 1989, doubly special.

For the record, the teams which lined up for the 1989 Rink Championship final were Robin Gray (skip), Kenny Knox, Allan MacLennan and John Deakin (representing Reform), and Robert Clark (skip), Robert Shaw, Jim Bryson and Johnny Johnson (representing Sorn CC).

Click here, or on either of the images, to watch ten minutes of the penultimate end of the game.

John Deakin, in a freeze-frame from the video. One of the game's great characters, he is remembered fondly. And thanks to Allan MacLennan who preserved the VHS tape from which the YouTube video has been edited.

Scottish expat to play for New Zealand

I was tickled to read the news this morning that a friend and well kent former Greenacres curler Kenny Thomson, now living in Auckland, has been selected as one of the five man squad to represent New Zealand at the Pacific Curling Championships in South Korea in November.

The NZ selections for the 2010-11 season were confirmed at a special meeting of the NZ Curling Association's Executive on July 16, see here. The other members of the national men's team are Sean Becker, Warren Kearney, Kris Miller and Warren Dobson.

Kenny is certainly one of the sport's 'characters'! More importantly he is a member of my own club, Reform CC, and I'm sure all the members will be cheering the news today.

The pic of Kenny, wearing his Reform CC fleece, was taken on a Reform Touring Club expedition to Prague a couple of years back. © Skip Cottage.

Reform CC

The Reform Curling Club held its AGM and Annual Dinner and Prizegiving at the Greenacres Rink on Friday. It hardly seems like thirty years when a few of us planted the seeds for what has become a great curling club. I am very proud to be a member.

Anyway, the Club voted unanimously to make Malcolm Richardson an Honorary Member of Reform. That's him in the centre of the photo above with (L-R) Michael Burton (the Club's Secretary), Karen Addison (the new Vice President), Stewart Philp (the new President), and Robin Copland (one of the original members who was the speaker at Friday's celebrations).

Reform has an interesting and somewhat unusual format. Entry is essentially on a team basis and the committee is made up of the teams' skips. Thirty five teams will take part next season, in four leagues with promotion and relegation. Membership is open, and the teams are junior right through to masters in age!

And here is the team which finished top of Division 1 in the second half of last season - Jean Lesperance, Margaret Richardson, Karen Addison and Neil Joss (skip).

The club website is here.

Pics © Skip Cottage

The Thaw

I've just been watching a BBC Scotland report from the Lake of Menteith, with reporter Sally McNair on hand to witness a few hardy souls playing through a fair bit of surface water! Sadly, the thaw has arrived. But I'll not be taking my stones out of the boot of the car yet. Who knows what lies ahead for us over the next eight to ten weeks of winter. Not the forecasters, certainly. It was just a few days ago that the outlook looked rather promising for today, according to them.

I can look back on a fantastic start to this year. I've thrown stones outside in a number of different places, as you will have seen if you have been following the blog. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the origins of our great sport, and participate in the fun and fellowship that outside curling brings. Hopefully those who have enjoyed the experience will give their support to the efforts to establish a museum of curling history within the Kinross National Academy setup. There is such a lot of history to be documented and researched. Have a look at what David B Smith has written about the 1929 Grand Match on the Curling History blog here. What wonderful old photographs. Being a train enthusiast, I was knocked out by the pic of the curlers disembarking from a 'special' at the Carsebreck siding.

Of course I was disappointed that there was no Grand Match last week. There could have been one. This is not the place for recriminations, but I have no doubt that there will be much discussion within the Royal Club in the months ahead, and a full assessment made on how the events of the past couple of weeks could have been managed better. And whether there will ever be an official Grand Match again.

Interesting, for me the winner has been Facebook. Not only have huge numbers of great photos found their way on to the social networking site, but it has been great to learn of many of our young curlers appreciating outside curling for the first time. And there's no question that any unofficial bonspiel could have been organised through the efforts of those who set up pages to promote that concept. Indeed, to find exactly what the conditions were like this morning, and whether it was worth making the trip north, it was to Lake of Menteith Hotel's Ian Fleming that I turned, eg here.

OK, just a few more photos which I hope you will find of interest, before skipcottagecurling returns to some sort of normality. The traffic to the blog has been the most ever over the last few days. Thanks to all for your support.

First of all though, if you would prefer to see moving images, Stable Recordings made a video on Saturday, see here.

Above is the helicopter on the Lake of Menteith in 1979. I believe it delivered the RCCC President to the venue.

Thanks to Paul Stevenson for sending me photos to show what the Lake of Menteith looked like yesterday, from about 1500 feet!

And here's the Lake of Menteith on Sunday when thousands turned up to enjoy the spectacle. Thanks to Ewan Chesser for this pic of the Landrover on the ice!

Here we are at Coldstream Mill Pond, not far from Greenacres, on Sunday. There's something missing from this pic! Mark with an X where you think the curlers should be!

Here they are. Some of my own club, Reform CC, ready for action.

I like the little ramp for offloading the stones from the road to the ice!

Tony Tierney in the head.

Recognise anyone? Yep, that IS Richard Harding on the right.

Thanks to David Robertson for the photos above.

This is Craichlaw Loch near Kirkcowan in stunning conditions at the weekend. Galloway Province clubs were in action.

These are members of Glasserton CC who took on Penninghame CC on Sunday.

Louise Kerr about to show how it should be done!

I wonder what Billy Thomson has said to offend Louise?

Liz Forsyth gets a helping hand from Elsie McKillop after failing to master the crampit delivery!

Thanks to Louise and local photographer Billy Broll for the pics above. Wonderful!

And a POSTSCRIPT:

Sandy Morton sends this pic to prove that not all elfin safety are bad people! Members of HM Coastguard Search & Rescue joining in the fun at the Greenan Loch on Bute last Saturday.

Thanks everyone!

A Latvian Selection

They were queued three deep at the Volvo Sporta Centrs for the final games of the Reform Bonspiel in Riga, Latvia.

It perhaps comes as little surprise that neither of the finalists were from Scotland. Team Hanza Real Estate came out on top in the championship (!) game, Sandris Buholcs (above) skipping his team to victory (photo here).

Runners-up were the Lassie and Three Laddies team skipped by Renars Freidensons, above.

Hanza in discussion. These guys took the game as seriously as if they were playing in the World final!

Except sometimes. It's what every skip needs - a cuddle from your third player when things are not going well!

More final action.

Now, those who are followers of my perambulations will know I've taken hundreds of pics this weekend. You can see the Reform curlers every Thursday evening at Greenacres, so here just are some of the colourful Latvian curlers I had the privilege of meeting these past few days.

I'm even going to make an exception to my rule about black garbed curlers. Kitija Zake brings an elegance to the ice as lead for Team Aurice.

Ieva Berzina is certainly colourful.

Gints Caune not only made the ice, but competed in the competition with Team Force.

Gints' wife Liga demonstrates secret Team Aurice communication signals.

Normunds Kalnins

Janis (John) Laizans

Ieva Stauere

Maija Prozorovica, flanked by Silards Stakans and Gints Caune.

Team Nike - Anete Zabere, Dace Regza and Aivars Gavars.

Team Nike skip, Ansis Regza

Iluta Linde

Iveta Stasa-Sarune will skip the Latvian Ladies' team at the Le Gruyere European Championships in Aberdeen.

Una Grava-Germane is on that team too.

As is Dace Munca!

And so is Ieva Krusta. Ieva brought a cue along for me so I could take part in a singles match against Chuck, from the USA, which diplomatically ended 1-1. Fortunately no photos are extant from this significant event.

Vineta Smilga is now a Reform Club member with husband Karlis, who skipped a Scottish team with Michael and Helen Burton, to win the Reform Touring Club trophy.

OK, just one pic of a Reform member then. This is Jim Jamieson, a colourful character at the best of times, modelling our new uniform!

Seriously, we have had just the best time in Riga. Everyone has been so friendly and hospitable. Friendships have been made. Put Latvia on your 'must visit' list. I certainly hope I will be back.

Pics by Bobs

Winners in Latvia

Here are the winners of the 3rd Reform CC Touring Club International Bonspiel in Riga.
L-R: Sandris Buholcs (skip), Anita Petersone, Didzis Petersone, Martins Truksans.

More pics to follow.

On the ice in Riga

The Edradour Lot, skipped by Jan Howard, are about to lose a big end as Renars Freidensons, skip of the Lassie and Three Laddies team, removes the lone yellow.

Play is in one of the two ice hockey arenas in the Volvo Centre. There are sixteen teams in the bonspiel, eight from Reform (but see below), and eight local teams. Good keen ice all day.

One of eight similar pics. The Old Pulteney Pupils, skipped by David Robertson, had just edged Team Force, skipped by Gints Caune who had made the ice for the event. That's him - the tallest one in the back row!

Iluta Linde is skip of an all girls team, Team Aurice.

Not all is going for John Summers and the Knockando and Don'ts team in this candid pic, from their game against Martins Truksans (also above), and his Hanza Real Estate team! John, Kate Fyfe and Dawn Watson have recruited Linda Mangale, a local curler to make up the four.

And Ieva Stauere is key third player in the Ardmore or Less team skipped by Gordon Butler with Carolyn Hibberd and Gordon Eadie. Vai visas Latvijas kerlingistesir tik smukas ka tu, Ieva?

Karlis Smilga has been the key person in helping get this Reform CC outing to Latvia off the ground. He and wife Vineta are playing with Helen and Michael Burton in the Scotch and Balsom team!

Needless to say, a great time is being had by all!

Photos © Skip Cottage