Teams Prentice and Stark crowned Scottish Curling Masters Champions
Congratulations to Team Prentice (Gwen Prentice, Marion Craig, Helen Drummond and Rhona Fleming) and Team Stark (Don Stark, Billy Johnstone, David Rutherford and Alan Paterson) on winning the 2022 Scottish Curling Masters Championships.
Umpire Archie Shedden had to measure twice in the last end of the women’s final to determine who would prevail between Team Prentice and Team Watt. The yellow stone of Prentice’s Borders side was closer to the tee by the finest margin, bagging them the decisive point. In the men’s final Team Stark gained the momentum over Team Horton in End 4 and never looked back to secure the win.
Many thanks to chief umpire Stew Sutherland for the report below.
DAY 4 – Semi-Finals and Finals
It was a sense of déjà vu that greeted the contestants on the final day of the competition as blizzards and strong winds up at Greenacres threatened to cause chaos once again. Fortunately – although there were a number of snow flurries during the course of the day – the weather held off, dispelling any worries about disruption on the way home.
In the men’s semi-finals the stage was set for a mouth-watering encounter between Greenacres’ John Sharp, comprised of Gus Storrie, Ross Barr and John McCall versus the redoubtable Ken Horton rink of Mike Dick, Trevor Dodds and Robin Copland. The other semi-final had the ubiquitous Keith Prentice rink comprising Lockhart Steele, Robin Aitken and Tommy Fleming up against Don Stark, Billy Johnstone, David Rutherford and Alan Paterson.
As expected at this stage of the competition, both games were tight affairs with low scores and the odd blank end. However, Don Stark’s Perthshire boys managed to keep their noses in front despite tough pressure from the opposition to eventually win 6 – 3. In the other tie the teams couldn’t be separated after 8 ends, tied at 6 – 6 (deja vu, did we mention John Sharp’s propensity for peeling games?). However, an exquisitely judged last stone draw by skip Ken Horton proved to be the decider.
Meanwhile the ladies semi-finals served us up with the prospect of Gwen Prentice versus Maggie Barry, and Barbara Watt against Kay Gibb. Again, closely contested games … but a 3 followed by a 2 in the 4th and & 5th ends by the Prentice Borders team saw off their rivals 9 – 4. In the other semi-final it was peels after 3 ends but an amazing 4 in the 4th end by Babs Watts’ ladies was more than enough to clinch the game 9 – 6. Job done!
And so on to the final …
Action in the men’s section on the final day.
It has to be said from the outset that most of us who have followed the domestic game over the years found it no surprise to have Ken Horton’s very experienced team in the final. But their opposition – Don Stark’s lads from Perthshire – had proven to be worthy contenders having progressed undefeated throughout the competition and taking a few notable scalps on the way. So we knew we were in for a great contest – we were not disappointed. An exchange of singles and a blanked 3rd end emphasised how close this tie was going to be. However, a cleverly-worked 4th end by Don saw them score a 3, followed by an equally gutsy 2 in the 5th, leaving them 6 – 1 up … game on!
Ken Horton has demonstrated time and time again that he can claw back a game, even from a seemingly impossible position, and it was no surprise that a 2 in End 6 looked to have got his team back in contention. But Stark’s Perthshire contingent showed they could hold their nerve and a steal of a single in the 7th left them very much in the driving seat. Indeed, they controlled the final end impeccably, eventually running Ken out of stones for a 7 – 3 victory.
It was all action in the women’s final.
In the Ladies Final the vastly experienced Team Prentice were up against Murrayfield’s Barbara Watt. Now, Barbara has been on the ladies circuit for a long time, won numerous competitions, and is always regarded as a highly accomplished participant no matter what the competition. However, for a variety of reasons her team – while all very experienced and competent curlers in their own right – had not really played together at this level before! And finding yourself 4 – 1 behind going into the 4th end against a team as strong as Gwen Prentice’s Border reivers would surely rank as a great test of nerves and temperament.
But one of the greatest factors in this wonderful sport of ours is teamwork and determination – Barbara’s girls certainly demonstrated they were not going to go quietly with a 2 at the 4th and a steal of 1 at the 5th to level the game. An exchange of singles in the next two ends saw the teams go into the final end tied 5 – 5.
So Gwen had the hammer and indeed her final stone looked to have won it, stopping just a fraction closer to the button than Barbara’s … or was it? Closer examination showed that this indeed was going to need a measure to determine the winner. Game Umpire Archie Shedden stepped on to the ice to total silence as everyone – players and spectators – held their collective breaths. The suspense was heightened as the umpire checked then double-checked the stones – it was the yellow stone of Team Prentice by millimetres!
A final that was enthralling to watch, entertaining, and exhibiting high levels of skill by all the players. And who was the winner …? Well of course, curling is always the winner!
DAY 3
After a comprehensive victory in the previous round, Team Wilson were no doubt relishing their meeting with Perthshire’s Don Stark in the men’s morning session. However, a very low-scoring game with not much to separate the teams was peeled 4 – 4 after six ends. A tactical decision to blank End 7 by the Stranraer contingent proved to be wrong as a single steal gave Don’s lads a 5 – 4 win this time round.
Gary MacFarlane’s rink were up against Alex Dickson this time and it was all staying very tight until Gary evidentially got bored and took a 5 in the 6th. The Dumfries team tried to respond with a single, but Gary wasn’t having any of it and took another 3 in the last end to put the game to bed 11 – 4. Elsewhere, John Sharps’ Greenacres team had a reasonably comfortable victory over Richard MacKenzie, ending up 9 – 5.
Ian Gillespie’s Greenacres team must have felt quite at home playing against Paul Davis’ team as most of the latter (recruited at short notice due to Covid issues) were regular players at Greenacres too. However, it wasn’t all “old pals” and Ian ran out 10 – 8 winner in a high-scoring game. Meanwhile, Ken Horton’s 4 – 4 peeled game against Willie Paterson’s squad ensured qualification from his section, as did Keith Prentice’s 5 – 3 win over Billy Nairn.
Having survived torrential lunchtime rain on their way to Greenacres, some tight games were anticipated in the women’s morning session as there were quite a number of teams still in contention – at least theoretically. The contest between Susie Scougal’s Kinross team and Marnie Ewart’s Forfar ladies started off with a bang as Susie took a 4 followed by a 3 on the first two ends. A fightback with a brace of singles and a 3 briefly made things look closer, but a 3 in the last ensured a 12 – 7 win for Team Scougal.
Marion Murdoch and Kay Gibb – long-standing regulars at this event – had a real ding-dong match which seemed to be scripted along the lines of “if Marion scores a single, Kay will respond with a 2”. It meant that, eventually, Kay ran out as 7 – 4 victor. Maggie Barry’s game against Greenacres local Jan Howard left the Murrayfield team comfortable 11 – 2 winners, while a consistent gritty performance by Gwen Prentice with a late push saw her emerge 8 – 3 winner over Sheilagh MacFarlane.
In the remaining game (remember, there were only 5 games per session due to a last minute withdrawal) a strong start by Barbara Watt’s Edinburgh team was eclipsed by Mara Lindsay’s Ayrshire ladies with a score of 4 in the 3rd end and a 5 in the 5th end. There was a spirited fightback by Barbara but too little, too late resulting in a 10 – 9 victory to the Ayrshire Team.
Heading into the men’s evening session, the automatic qualification of Team Horton and Team Prentice from their respective section meant there was no requirement for their evening fixtures to be played. There were also some “dead rubbers”, meaning that a few of the other teams opted not to play their remaining fixtures, so only four teams took to the ice.
So here’s the scenario: Don Stark is top of his section on 4 wins and 8 points. Second in the same section is John Sharp on 2 wins, 2 peels and 6 points. They are about to play one another! Meanwhile, Gary MacFarlane is on 4 points: if he can beat Team Wilson with a good margin of ends and shots, he can overhaul John Sharp if John loses … And so the games commenced with anxious sidelong glances between the sheets.
Gary MacFarlane and Team Wilson traded ends with each other and sat peeled 2 – 2 after 3 ends. John Sharp had similarly just taken a 2 at the 4th end to peel 2 – 2 with Don Stark. But DRAMA: Gary came up short with his last stone draw and ends up losing a 6! He shook hands. Sharp and Stark (barely able to conceal their smiles of relief) did similarly as a drawn game was all they needed.
Many of us who know and support this great competition enjoy the fact that the players taking part have been there, done that and probably have the T-shirt somewhere in the back of their wardrobe. While the standard of play is excellent, the fun and the humour is always on show too … An example of this came just prior to the start of the women’s evening session when the ladies were just about to take to the ice. The ice technician was just finishing off his prepping of the ice – with music on in the background. So picture the sight, if you can, as quite spontaneously all the ladies started dancing to the music! And coincidentally, the song was “Don’t Stop Believing” by American band Journey….
The fun continued on the ice too as Barbara Watt continued her progress with an 8 – 3 win over Kate Adams; Susie Scougal defeated Marion Murdoch 6 – 2; and Gwen Prentice secured her spot in the semis by grinding out a 6 – 5 victory over Marnie Ewart. The game between Mara Lindsay and Maggie Barry would determine another semi-final spot. A promising start by Mara proved to somewhat be a false dawn as the Murrayfield team took a brace of 2’s and left the Ayrshire team chasing the game, eventually running out 9 – 5 winners.
The remaining fixture was an East coast affair with Sheilagh MacFarlane’s Forfar ladies taking on Aberdeen’s Kay Gibb. Again a possible place in the Semis was at stake, so all to play for. As expected, the game was a closely fought affair, but a crucial score of 3 in the 5th for Kay proved decisive in her 8 – 5 victory.
Accordingly, the line-ups for the semi-finals on Sunday morning were:
MEN: Sharp v Horton; Prentice v Stark
WOMEN: Prentice v Barry; Watt v Gibb
DAY 2
Wintry conditions greeted the early starters this morning – perhaps a taste of things to come judging by the weather forecast.
The Men’s Section saw Alex Dickson’s Dumfries team take on local hero John Sharp, while the Wilson’s Stranraer rink skipped by JonJo Kenny faced Richard Mackenzie from Inverness. A strong start from Dickson was countered by a score of 5 in the 4th end by John Sharp. A brace of 2’s was followed by a single in End 7 that left John with only a single in the 8th to level the game at 9 -9. Not to be outdone, the Wilson/MacKenzie contest ended in a peel of 7- 7.
Meanwhile, Gary MacFarlane’s Hamilton team ran out narrow losers to Don Stark’s Perth rink. Keith Prentice’s Borders squad had a close game with the local Greenacres Team Gillespie, narrowly emerging as 7 – 6 winners. The other Hamilton representatives, Team Horton, had Paul Davis’ Murrayfield team to face. A close game ended in a 6 – 5 victory for Ken. Finally in the morning session, Lockerbie’s Billy Nairn must have wondered why they bothered getting up that morning as they ran out 14 – 2 losers to Willie Paterson’s Kinross side.
In the Women’s Section the game between Kay Gibb and Gwen Prentice started off pretty even, but a 5 in the 5th followed by a brace of singles and a 2 in End 8 by the Borders team put the game beyond reach for the Aberdonians. Maggie Barry’s first game (they had a bye in the first round) saw the Murrayfield side fight out a feisty 7 – 7 draw against Kate Adam’s Stranraer team.
The other games were not so close tough: Sheilagh MacFarlane comfortably saw off Susan Scougal’s challenge 10 – 5, while Mara Lindsay ran out 12 – 2 winners against Jan Howard’s Greenacres side. Special mention must go to Marnie Ewart’s Forfar team: comprehensibly beaten in their first game, they exacted revenge with an 18 – 3 victory over Marion Murdoch – That’s surely a great example of getting your mojo back!
The evening session saw section leaders Prentice and Horton go head to head. In what was a predictably very tight game a score of 3 in the 6th by Ken Norton proved decisive in winning this one. Elsewhere, a brace of 3’s and a 4 by Billy Nairn’s Lockerbie side against Team Gillespie left too much to do for the Greenacres men.
Alex Dickson must have thought they were holding Peter Wilson’s Stranraer line-up when they went into End 5 and peeled at 4 all, but the roof fell in when they lost two 4’s and a 5 in the subsequent ends … ouch! The Paterson/Davis fixture proved to be an entertaining match with a good comeback by Paul’s team just sneaking a 9 – 8 victory.
Don Stark’s Perth boys had a close tussle with Richard MacKenzie’s Inverness team with the former edging a narrow 7 – 4 result. Finally, a gutsy score of 3 in the 8th end by John Sharp against Gary MacFarlane got him yet another drawn game: maybe we should nickname him ‘John Peel’?
The women took to the ice in the evening with an Edinburgh derby between Barbara Watt and Maggie Barry. The match was closer than the eventual 7 – 4 scoreline in favour of Team Watt suggests with some great quality play by both teams.
Elsewhere, Kay Gibb continued her positive campaign with a strong 9 – 4 win over Susie Scougal. Again it was a tight fixture in the Forfar derby between Marnie Ewart and Sheilagh MacFarlane ending up peeled 6 – 6. Gwen Prentice meanwhile ground out a 7 – 3 result against Marion Murdoch.
Top result of this heat though undoubtedly goes to Jan Howard’s tight 7 – 6 victory over Kate Adams where a measure was required following the last stone in the last end. Kate looked to be lying 3 for a peel, but it was only deemed to be a 2 after the umpire’s intervention.
DAY 1
Despite the assurances that the Covid-19 Omicron variant appears to be less severe for those unfortunate to contract it, it’s still out there, as witnessed by the number of short-notice call offs and team changes preceding the competition … stay safe folks! Nevertheless, a superb turnout of 12 Men’s Teams and 11 Ladies Teams ensured that the Masters would again be a quality event.
Day One started at noon with the Men’s draw comprising two leagues of six teams. Participants travelled from as far afield as Inverness and Lockerbie – although it must be noted that short notice call offs meant that many of the “great and good” from local Greenacres teams had been pressed into service and kindly filled the spots.
As expected at this level, games were tight with a couple of peels. At the end of Day 1, Ken Horton and Keith Prentice are sitting pretty at the top of Section A. Meanwhile in Section B, Perth’s Don Stark is sharing the honours at the top with the local Greenacres team of John Sharp.
On the ladies’ side, defending champion Kay Gibb and Sheilagh MacFarlane came out on top of Section A. Murrayfield’s Barbara Watt and the redoubtable Kate Adams Stranraer team are heading the Section B table after one day of play.
Both the Ladies’ and Men’s Teams have another two games each to decide who qualifies for the semi-finals.
