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There were a number of real humdingers in this week’s Moray Province East Curling .
Tennis Club’s Dave MacPherson opened his Division 1 account with a stunning victory over last year’s champion Kenny Oswald. 5-4 down but with the hammer in the last end, tennis club fourth player Roy Thomson stayed cool as a cucumber to take a two and leave the crack Elgin rink pointless. Meanwhile Aberlour’s Andy Cameron and Sunninghill’s Donald Ross fought out an intriguing 7-7 draw. A sixth end 4 put the Speysiders into a 7-5 lead, but the canny Hotel rink skipped by a rather weary Angus Gunn kept their cool to take a 1 and a single steal to give them a share of the spoils. Alan Campbell’s Buckie team were never ahead in their match against Bill Jaffrey until a 4 at the last rather spoiled the Fochabers combo’s night. 5-2 ahead after 4 ends, the Buckie rink stayed in the contest , picking up singles to go into the last end all square. Unfortunately for the Fochabers team, they now found themselves unable “to hit a cow’s bottom with a banjo” and lost a 4 despite holding last stone advantage.
In Division 3, Linda Hardie marked her very welcome return to the rink with a remarkable 8-7 win over Andrew Allardyce. Despite a 6-0 deficit after 3 ends, the Forres skip fought back strongly with a fourth end 4 and a pair of deuces to pip the Elgin rink by a single shot.
Owen Watson’s Juniors had a great night picking up all their shots between an opening single and last end 3 against an experienced Helen Downey.
Division 4 saw new team Janice Rankin’s Moray Firth Ladies gain their second victory of the campaign, winning comfortably against Lynne Robert’s Wheels team. The wheels picked up a terrific 4 to lead 5-2 afternoon 4 ends, but ran out of gas thereafter, losing a 5 and a couple of 2’s in an 11-5 reverse.
Sandy Howie was delighted to skip Jim Walls team of competition beginners to a good 9-5 victory over Katy Gordon’s Juniors. The newcomers were powerful mid match, scoring 7 shots over ends 3,4 and 5.
In the Open knockout Preliminary round, Eddie Milne pipped Mike Kemp in a nail biting 7-6 win and now meets Alan Campbell in the East section quarter final whilst another shock defeat for Kenny Oswald gave Charlie Watt jnr passage to his East quarter final against Alan Durno.
Bill Jaffrey