A huge congratulations to our team that contested and WON the Elco Cup (and other bits of silverware) at the East Lothian Province Bonspiel. After a big win in their first game, they were in second place which meant that they were up against the first round leaders. A second win saw them draw clear on shots and take the title.
Congratulations to Sandy Nicoll, Andy Aberdein, Keith Anderson and Richard Taylor
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| Sandy & Family |
After the ,now traditional, trying to understand the rules, battle commenced. It was interesting to note that of the five times 'skins' were won twice was with the hammer and three times without. Sandy was publicly claiming that his ambition was to win a single skin (which he had failed to do against his only previous skins outing). It should be noted that, his play did not indicate this modest ambition, and with one of his 'spirited' sweeping efforts, shattered the head of his broom !
With no winners in the first end Sandy struck and took 2 skins (with a rollover) in the second end. Morgan struck back with his own 2 skins in the next end. After the fifth end Dad was leading by 5 - 4 with 3 skins available for the next end, which wasn't won. This left, including the rollover, 7 skins on offer for the final end with Morgan being the slight favourite having shed the 'hammer' to his laddie.
Meantime the thirds were conspiring to make the skips have to 'draw the shot' to determine a winner.
With Sandy sitting with a 1 he needed to bite the eight foot with his final stone to take the skins and the win. Unfortunately the whole of the house was well guarded, so he had to make a very wide draw with only a small section of the house available to him. He played onto the tee line and made the shot.
So it is congratulations to Sandy Nicoll, Graeme Maguire, Richard Taylor and Heather Harpur as worthy winners.
The final game of the Wingate was between Team Pate and Team McDiarmid. Team Pate were firing on
were fighting for their survival in the Wingate, while Team McDiarmid required a peel to take the title. Only one of them could come away happy.
Sandy is the seventh player to back up a Rennie win (and achieve promotion) with a win in the 'big league' as a 'rookie'.
Congratulations therefore to Sandy Nicoll, Graeme Maguire , Richard Taylor and Heather Harpur.
They will go on to contest the Skins on 20th March against Team Morgan, the winners of the Rennie.
For factual correctness, this is the first time that there has been a Father/Son lock out in our leagues. There have previously been Father/daughter and Brother/sister as well as Husband/wife lockouts (can you name them?)
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| President Andy & Family |
Meanwhile their deputes were having an altogether different game on the next sheet. The Presidents pick started off sedately, but between taking a 5 in the third end and a 4 in the sixth AND restricting the Vice Presidents pick to a single end meant a very one sided game going to the 'underdogs' 15 - 3.
This meant that President Andy (A) retains the trophy and he and his team (Keith Anderson, Richard Taylor, Susan Stanton, Morgan Nicoll (skip), Hugh Braod and Roy Black) deserve praise for a colossal 21 - 7 victory.
A very convivial supper concluded the evening.
