Key and Field in Winning  Gateway Form

As Divisions 3 and 4 of Moray Province East resumed hostilities after the Christmas recess,
John Key’s Division 4 Gateway rink are the only team in the Province with a 100% record.
Key and co were in uncompromising form in their 14-2 win over Ruthie Harris’s Juniors. The youngsters only scoreboard contribution was a fifth end double but by that stage of proceedings they were already down and out and facing a 10 -2 deficit . Key’s inexperienced Gateway team are really starting to click with Gerald Winkler at third and Luke Harris and Tony Summers at second and lead.
Cameron Turnidge maintained his good form as his Juniors rink powered their way to a solid 8-4 win over Rod Christie’s Buckie team. A three shot pick up at the sixth end eased the youngsters to a 7-2 lead as they ran out worthy winners of both points.
Division 3 leader Sandy Howie came a cropper against a very competitive Gateway team skipped by Steve Field. An opening end 4 got the Gateway gang off to a flier, but Howie hit back immediately with a 3 of his own in the second end and another 3 at the fourth end saw the Buckie team draw level at 6-6. An exchange of 2 shot scores and the teams were tied again as Field, with the final end hammer kept his cool to take a single and a terrific win.
Eddie Milne was deputising for absent skip Alan Douglas as the Darnaway team had a real ding dong battle with Elgin’s Bob Stewart. Milne must have been dreaming of bagging the win with a seemingly healthy 7-2 lead after 5 ends, but Stewart had other ideas as a sixth end 3 and then another triple last end steal gave the Elgin team a narrow come from behind win.
Helen Downey was 8-0 up after 5 ends before Janice Rankin, skipping the Moray Firth Ladies rink got onto the scoreboard with a consolation deuce at the last and an 8-2 victory kept the Elgin team’s promotion hopes on track.
In the West, it seemed that it was a gathering of the Fraser clan as three of them,under the guidance of skip Tom Pendreigh, consolidated their Division 1 lead with a 6-2 win. A tight contest was finally settled with a last end Dalcross double.
Ardclach rinks kept themselves close to the leaders as both Ali Fraser and Ruaridh Greenwood successfully steered their teams to victory against their Nairn opponents, Fraser easily winning 11-2 against Ali Asher and Greenwood managing a last end win in a tight tussle with Jamie Cattell.
Division 2 leader Mike McInnes must have taken his foot off the gas, generously giving up a last end single in a crushing 15-1 win over John Smart and Ernie Nicholson picked up his second win of the season, a count of 4 shots at the fifth end being the decisive moment in a 6-3 win over Fiona Steel’s Ladies.