TEAM HARE CLINCH THE HAMILTON TROPHY AT ASHAM U17 SLAM

Congratulations to Team Hare (Eva Hare, Adam Hale, Christopher Taylor, Rebecca O’Sullivan, Finn McLean) (Stranraer) who triumphed in the Asham Under 17 Slam at Lanarkshire Ice Rink. They got the better of Team Leigh (Dumfries) in a tight final to clinch the Hamilton Trophy.

Sitting on two wins and one draw, Team Hare emerged to the play-offs as Section D table-toppers. Up against Team Burke (Holly Burke, Alison Hamilton, Holly Smith, Samantha Torrance (Lanarkshire), who completed Section A on the same record, the Stranraer side struck first with four points in End 1. Team Burke could only respond with a single and Team Hare swiftly copied the feat to reinstate their lead. Finally, the home outfit managed to cut the gap with two points from End 4, but once more their opponents sprinted away with a three. The game was decided firmly in Team Hare’s favour when a three-points steal in End 6 made it 11-3 on the board.

Elsewhere, the second semi-final was played between Team Grant (Callum Grant, Gregor Troup, Fraser Rankin, Ben Rankin) (Greenacres) and Team Leigh, the only outfit sitting on a perfect record of wins after the section games. The sides traded singles in the first two ends before Team Leigh proved their form by scoring two and stealing one to edge out a lead. Team Grant took a single in response, but their Dumfries opponents decided the game 6-2 with a deuce in the final end.

Nothing could separate the sides in the final after two ends with both Team Hare and Team Leigh taking singles. However, the first – and crucial – punch came from the Stranraer outfit who stole two in End 3 to pull away from their rivals. The start of the second half was a carbon copy of the first as each team added a single to their tally, meaning the gap stood on two points. Team Hare arithmetically eliminated Team Leigh in the final end and the last stones needn’t be played to conclude the encounter 4-2. Meanwhile in the play-off for third, Team Burke comprehensively saw off Team Grant 7-1.