Around the Rinks: 24 – 26 January

Scotland win big at the Four Nations

This year it was the turn of the Welsh Curling Association to host the Four Nations with a welcome return to the Flower Bowl in Preston. Over the weekend seven trophies were contested for with Scotland competing for four of them. Scotland Men take on England Men for the Tom Ballantyne Trophy. Scotland Women compete against England Women for the Connie Miller Trophy. Both men and women take on Wales for The Big Bertha Trophy and Ireland for the Marshall Millennium Trophy.

Vice-President Andrew Kerr being presented with the Tom Ballantyne Trophy from Tommy Campbell.

Scotland got off to a great start on the Friday night in their defense of the Tom Ballantyne Trophy against England Men gaining a five shot advantage after the first two games and this lead was built upon over the remaining four matches with Scotland running out victors with a final score of 44-32. The skips this year for the six matches were Graham Lindsay (2), Jim Cullen (2), Ian Young and Ian Keron. The medal winners with a score of plus 10 were Jim Cullen, James Carsewell, Christopher Cumin and David Hope.

Having lost out to England last year, Scotland’s Women won the Connie Miller Trophy with a final score of 15-13. It was all very close and in the first game skip Aileen Neilson with her team of Ja-nine Wilson, Elaine Paterson and Liz Cullen overturned an early deficit to post a single shot victory and a similar result was achieved by skip Ann-Maree Davidson with her team of Jan Howard, Shelagh Fulton and Elspeth Johnston.

After the Saturday sessions concluded a possible Grand Slam was on the cards. Scotland went into the final session against Wales with a slender three shot advantage, but Wales came back strongly to overturn the Scot’s advantage and win the match with a final tally of 29-23.

Ireland were up next, and Scotland went into the final session for The Marshall Millennium Trophy with a four shot advantage secured by the teams skipped by Ian Keron and Jan Howard. Despite a valiant effort by Ireland, the teams skipped by John McDermott and Michael McCreadie held on for an overall 27-22 win.

Thanks go to Adrian Meikle and the Welsh Curling Association as well as the Flower Bowl for making this such a successful and enjoyable tournament. Next year it is on to Ayr Ice Rink as it is the turn of Scotland to host.

Report by Jim Cullen

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Stick Delivery | UKCC Level 1 | Rules Upskilling, Inverness Ice Centre, 24-26 January

Inverness was buzzing at the weekend with a myriad of courses and workshops running at the Ice Centre! Thanks to the hard work of the Inverness and Moray Development Groups, Scottish Curling was able to deliver a UKCC Level 1 coaching qualification and Stick Delivery and Rules Upskilling workshops.  Each course was almost at full capacity, which is so encouraging.  The weekend was a great example of two rinks working in partnership together to ensure coaches development. Moray and Inverness development groups worked tirelessly over the last few months to find out what upskilling their coaches needed.  The next step was to look at dates when bonspiels were running and then and plan their coach education around these.  It is a process that appears to work very well for Inverness and Moray and is the second time that the two rinks  have come together and with such success.