Skins 25/26

The Wingate and the Rennie winners lined up against each other, to scratch their heads and to play the annual Skins game for the final bragging rights of the season.  

Both Team Nicoll and Team  Aberdein eased their way in by stealing for a skin each after the first two ends.  End three saw Team Aberdein with the hammer fail to get the required two shots, so the skins and the hammer rolled over (Our clubs own rules which were "New for 2017" apparently).  In a stroke of tactical genius from Morgan saw him only score only score a single therefore the skins rolled over again but giving him a better chance, ie a steal, of winning the kitty which was now standing at 10 points.

At this point, I will say that it had been a high quality of curling that had been played.  This did not hold true for the sixth end, where maybe all the players were tired and looking forward to the closed season. The sixth end saw, I think everyone, play a howler or two !

Whoever won the sixth end would take the title as insufficient skins remained available after that.  Team Morgan had maneuvered themselves into pole position, requiring a steal of one, while Team Andy had the more difficult prospect of needing a two, with the hammer.  As mentioned, if it could go wrong this end, it did.  Team Andy was sitting with the required two but Morgan, with his final stone had a double takeout to play.  His stone navigated the gap between the stones leaving Andy the option of not playing his final stone.  Relax dear reader, he didn't.

So, Congratulations to Andy Aberdein, Graeme Maguire, Lindsay McConnell and Susan Stanton.  This years Skins Winners. 

District Medal Game

 District Medal game.
A very tight game with Haddington loosing 4-3 against a very experienced and talented  Edzell team.  7 ends all going for single shots.  Haddington (John Good, Richard Taylor, Hamish Logan and skip Andy McD) went all out to steal at the last end up but faltered having been in the game up to this point. 
A chance for next year

The District Medal is a competition that dates back to season 1839-40 and continues to offer a friendly and social opportunity for clubs to play a one-off match against opposition they might not otherwise meet.

J. Good 

Wingate Showdown

 As predicted, the Wingate came down to the final game, between Team Morgan and Team Andy McD, helmed for the night by Graeme.  In order to pinch the title, the McDiarmid squad needed, not only to win, but to win by EIGHT ends.  The first couple of ends went to plan, then all hopes were dashed with Team Morgan taking the third end, and therefore the title.

The game was still alive until the Morgans final stone in the last end, which popped through a narrow port and lifted the shot stone.  This was the first time in the game that Team Nicoll Snr had been in the lead but the score at the final bell is all that counts.

So, Its congratulations to Morgan Nicoll, Euan Forbes, Jeff Lewis and Jennifer Reynolds