All Change

With the end in sight, it was a night of the 'underdogs' in last nights Wingate games.  Bottom of the table (for now) Team Nicoll Snr. score their first win.  They took their victory in the last end against multiple defending champion and league leader Dave Munro and his squad.

A mixed night for the Nicolls saw Team Nicoll Jnr. lose a big four shots in the first end against Team Pate (Its nice not to have to add Snr. or Jnr.).  Try as he might, and with his team under performing, Sandy could not strike his way back in to the game, allowing James to score an easy victory.

This moves Equipe Munro Snr. out of the top spot, in favour of Team Pate while the Nicolls, father and son contest the lower edges of the table.  Sandy has a game and a point in hand but has to play Team Munro twice before the dust will finally settle.

The Pairs Competition

 Following topping their respective leagues the deciding match for the High and Low Road Trophies were between Sandy Nicoll & Jeff Lewis and Andy Aberdein & John Harcourt.

Team Nicis got off to a good start with a three shots in the first and third ends with Team Abercourt being restricted to singles in the second and fourth ends.  Trailing by 4 shots it was always going to be a big ask for a comeback and despite Sandy missing a double takeout (probably his only miss all afternoon), Andy and Jeff were left with another single.  They did have bragging rites, however, by taking 3 ends to 2, nevertheless the final score was 6 - 3.

High Road Winners - Sandy Nicoll & Jeff Lewis

Low Road Winners -  Andy Aberdein & John Harcourt.

 

In the 'small final' Hamish Logan & Roy Black beat James Pate and Margaret Harcourt by 5 - 2 to decide third and fourth places.

The First Munro to strike

Congratulations to Karen Munro and her team of Morgan Nicoll/Kath Dun, James Pate and Margaret Harcourt.  With their Saturday afternoon win against the Logan's pusher squad, they have sealed the Rennie Quaich.  

Maybe, just maybe, her father will have some competition in the Wingate next year.

I attach a photo of Karen with her proud parents celebrating.  (In this case, I believe that they were celebrating a birthday meal prepared by the Rennie Queen, that hadn't poisoned any of them ?)  

President v Vice President

 Congratulations to President James Pate for decisively winning his game against Andrew Aberdein's rink.

Meantime their second rinks were grubbing it out in a, very well humoured, game of single shot ends.  In the end both Presidents teams won and were applauded. 

Given the current Covid situation it was good that thirteen of the sixteen sat down to a convivial supper and as the bar was closed, no-one had to argue as to who was driving.

Swan - Semi Final

Well done to our teams, headed by Morgan Nicoll and James Pate for their valiant attempt to overcome the might of Currie & Balerno and make the final.

Team Nicoll played well against Brian Flemming's team (with turncoat Dave Munro as third) and managed to win by a narrow margin.

Team Pate were working hard and held on to a slim lead after the fourth end but this evaporated with a big score of 5 against in the next end.  Holding their nerve they fought back and in the final end were sitting with a two, enough to win the game on aggregate, with the President of the RCCC's last stone to play.  Susan Kesley needed a draw to within six feet but played slightly too heavy.  The shot just clipped Team Pate's front stone and deflected onto their rear stone to score a one and take the match.

Good luck to C&B in the final.

Munro Loses - Shocker

2022 got off to an early start with the lower ranked Rennie teams showing that they cannot be discounted.

Heavily tipped Karen Munro took on third placed Andy McDiarmid and the result was a big surprise, a scoreboard busting 13 - 5 win for the underdogs.  This means that Karen's rink has doubled their seasons losses to two.  Both of which have been to the McDiarmid quartet !  Ms Munro will be pleased that she has now completed all her games against that particular rink.

Meanwhile, the second placed Team Aberdein staged a mighty come back, only to lose a single, and the game, in the final end against bottom placed Team Logan.  Again, both of Team Logan's wins have been against Andy A and his merry crew.

No league positions were changed from these results, although Karen is now showing nerves by chasing Ends.  Mathematically any of the four teams could still lift the quaich, but with her lead and a handy buffer of ends, it is still Team Munro's to lose.