McInnes Feeding Frenzy at Inverness Ice Centre.

Buckie’s Sandy Howie hit the top of Division 3 East in this week’s Moray Province Curling. Fellow title hopeful Alan Douglas counted an opening end deuce, and was 4-2 up after four ends before a count of 3 shots in the fifth edged the Buckie team ahead and a single steal at the last end gave Howie the win to maintain his 100% League start.
Longtime Elgin rivals Bob Stewart and Helen Downey had a tight tussle, Stewart won four of the seven ends played, though only picking up single shots,whilst Downey and co managed a 3 at the third and a sixth end single to tie the match at 4-4 going down the last. A craftily created 2 shot steal gave Helen the victory by 6-4.
Steve Field had to concede a 6-0 defeat to Julie Stewart’s Moray Firth Ladies as he couldn’t raise a full team.
In Division 4 the Junior showdown was a near blowout for Cameron Turnidge. Poor old Ruthie Harris and co’s only counter was a single at the sixth end as young Cameron piled up the shots to run away with an 11-1 win.
John Key unlocked havoc on Rod Christie’s Buckie rink as he went 2 better than Turnidge in a 13-1 demolition job. The scoreboard looked more like a telephone number as Key counted a selection of double and treble shot scores over the seven ends played.
In the West,Tom Pendreigh the Dalcross caravan farmer is top of the Division 1 pile after an 8-4 win over current RCCC President Ali Asher. 4-0 up after 2 ends and 6- 1 ahead after 4, Pendreigh lost a 2 and a single steal but rallied with a count of 2 at the last end for a well merited win.
Ali Fraser’s Ardclach rink are in a rich vein of form and out fought clubmate Ruaridh Greenwood despite losing a 3 at the third end to trail 3-2. Fraser and co upped a gear or two thereafter and Greenwood could only add a seventh end single to his score as his opponents ran away to win 9-4.
Jamie Cattell got off to a flier to lead Gus Forbes 7-0 after three ends and was never seriously troubled by his Nairn Club colleague in a 10-3 Cattell victory.
In Division 2 , Robbie Asher lost an opening end single before entering “ trounce” mode to sprint to rather a Lord Nelson like 11-1 win against Dalcross’s John Smart.
Perhaps the week’s strangest game was Fiona Steel’s 6-6 peel with Mike McInnes. Steel’s ladies won 5 out of the six ends played to collect their 6 shot tally. McInnes on the other hand went “ all in” at the third end and like some hungry great white shark, greedily trousered all his 6 shots in one fell swoop to keep the pressure on Division 2 leader Robbie Asher.