TEAM GRANT CLINCH BALJAFFRAY TROPHY WITH LAST END MEASURE
Many congratulations to Team Grant (Callum Grant, Ben Rankin, Gregor Troup, Fraser Rankin) who clinched the Baljaffray Trophy at home at Greenacres. It took a measure in the last end to decide the final between them and Team Soutar (Callie Soutar, Eva Hare, Holly Clemie, Alison Hamilton) (Forfar) by only a single point.
Team Grant had a great start to the tournament and remained undefeated in Section B until their penultimate game. Up against Team Brewster (Ethan Brewster, Luke Perras, Morag Skea, Amber Perras) (Curl Aberdeen), they were leading by one and going into the last end with hammer, but a stolen deuce gave their Aberdonian opponents the advantage.
Still Team Grant bounced back to win their next game and the section on 12 points. They were the only Section B side to progress in the High Road while both Team Brewster and Team Rutherford (Finlay Rutherford, Tom Cormack, Cameron Lindsay, Rory Stevenson) (Kinross) had to settle for the Low Road on 10 points each.
Meanwhile in Section A, the group win came down to the penultimate session where undefeated Teams Soutar and Halliday (Jack Halliday, Zac Trotter, Owen Kennedy, Edward Hanna) (Dumfries) faced off. Team Halliday opened proceedings with a big three points that their opponents never recovered from. With both sides winning their next fixtures, Team Halliday topped the section on 15 points, Team Soutar following on 12. Both progressed in the High Road.
Elsewhere, Team Scanstone (Calum Skea, Donald Robertson, Jamie Jones, Ben Watson) (Forfar) were unbeatable in Section C and progressed to the play-offs in flying colours. Team Zen Curling (George Watmough, Oliver Ablett, Declan McCann, Ollie Johnson) (Preston) finished second on 12 points but missed out on the High Road by stats.
Semi-final 1 saw table toppers Teams Grant and Scanstone face off. In what turned out to be a fairly one-sided encounter, Team Grant opened with a stolen two and stole again after two blanks to build an insurmountable advantage. 5-1 the final score, they roared into the final.
The second semi-final was a rematch between Teams Halliday and Soutar, but this time, the Forfar side turned their fortunes around. Although Team Halliday were first on the board with a two in the third end, Team Soutar answered with a three. Another blank later, Team Soutar stole a single to clinch the game by four points to two.
On to a tight and fiercely contested final. Team Soutar opened with a single steal and the sides traded ones from there, making it 2-1 at halftime. Team Grant took the lead for the first time with a deuce at the restart, but when Team Soutar answered with a single, it was all square again with one end to go.
A tense final end followed. Team Grant were coming down with hammer, but Team Soutar made things far from easy for their opponents and a nerve-wrecking measure was required to decide the fixture. In the end, a single point went Team Grant’s way and decided the Baljaffray Trophy in the home side’s favour.
In the play-off for third, Team Scanston were leading 2-0 at the break, but an unreal second half comeback earned Team Halliday the win, 8-2 the final scoreline.
Full results are available here.
