Campbell Edges Ahead In The East

Alan Campbell and his Buckie rink are 2 for 2 in the Moray Province East Division 1 League after a comprehensive win over Forres’s Charlie Watt jnr. Watt’s  post game expression was one of bewilderment , reflective of a team unused to losing after serial seasons of League promotion victories . 2 single scoring ends against 2 deuces and 2 big counts of 4 against, were the cause of the Forres skip’s demeanour after a 13-2 drubbing.
Not so bewildered but just about as heavily defeated, Wilson Burnett shook hands with Andy Cameron on a 12-4 defeat. Cameron’s Aberlour are last season’s Division 1 champs and their class showed as front end John Sharpe  ,  despite sporting more bandages than King Tut  and  the ever elegant Lilia Clarke repeatedly set up third player Gavin and  Andy Cameron to race to a 6-0 lead after 4 ends. Burnett and co were never at the races and in particular,their lead player could have have been outplayed by a half chewed bannock. Virtually their only highlight was a well played hack weight take out through a narrow port which  gave the Fochabers’ skip a consolation 3 at the penultimate end.
The game of the night was undoubtedly the ding dong battle between Mike McDonald and Dave McPherson. 5 apiece going into the final end, the Forres team had a good counter pretty well protected and held last stone advantage. Tennis Club skip Roy Thomson just failed to get to the shot stone and McDonald breathed a sigh of relief to edge to his 6-5 win.
Owen Watson’s Juniors played twice in the week, winning a rearranged match against Alan Durno 10-4 but then losing a very tight game against Bob Stewart in a nail biting contest of 8 single shot scores. A single steal for Stewart in the fourth end and another single steal at the seventh was enough for the experienced  Elgin outfit to notch up their victory.
In Watson’s win over the Durno deputising Mike Watt, a 5 shot pick up in the opening end set the Juniors up and running before Watt and co came right back into the contest to win the next 3 ends and trail by  just a single shot. That however, was the high water mark for the Fochabers’ rink as Watson then cleaned up the last 3 ends for a terrific 10-4 victory.
Abby Duncan and Donald Ross took a point each after a gripping 6-6 draw. 3-0 ahead after 2 ends, the Fochabers’ lads then gave up a 4 but went into the final end 6-5 leaders. Sunninghill skip Angus Gunn is not a man to get easily spooked however and with last stone advantage got the single he needed to leave the ice with his share of the points.
Next Tuesday 14th November sees the playing of the delayed 2023 Moray Province Points competition when each Province Club can nominate 2 members to compete for the Heather Little Trophy,an individual, skill based throwing of a set of pre determined curling shots .