TROPHY TUESDAY ON NATIONAL CURLING DAY 2022
Today is National Curling Day! We would like to seize this opportunity to celebrate some of our members’ and clubs’ amazing achievements over the past 12 months. Therefore, we collected some stories for you to browse through below. And now it’s your turn! We’d love to hear your success stories, little and big, so give us a shout on social media (@scottishcurling) or email us (marketing@scottishcurling.org) to be featured.
SORN CC TEAM CLAIM PRESTIGIOUS EGLINGTON JUG
Twenty-eight rinks took to the ice this year to compete for the Eglington Jug, the most prestigious curling competition in Ayrshire. The trophy was clinched by skip John Johnston Jnr, Shaun Rennie, Alistair Middleton, and David Bell who saw off their fellow Sorn quartet of skip Robert Clark, Murray Stevenson, Gail Thomson, and John Johnston Snr.
‘The Eglington Jug is played in October; with it being so early, it just sets your season up great to have your name on such an important trophy,’ John said. ‘No matter if you don’t win another game, it’s still a proud moment to lift the Jug and have your club’s name engraved on the trophy for another year.’
Lead David added: ‘Winning the Eglington Jug is a tremendous feeling; to get such a sought after and historic trophy in the cabinet early in the season is fantastic! Sorn CC have a very strong link to the competition and it’s great to bring it back to our club again! I am very lucky to have won it three times now and hope many more are still to come.’
ARDLACH CC DEFEND TITLE ON RETURN OF POPULAR INVERNESS SKINS COMPETITION
The Johnny Foxes Inverness Skins Curling Competition returned after a three-year hiatus, but the winner stayed the same as skip Ally Fraser defended the title alongside his rink of Grant Fraser, Calum Greenwood and Ruairidh Greenwood. No less than 96 curlers in 24 teams joined the competition at Inverness Ice Centre in an event that perfectly combined high-quality curling and the social side of the sport.
Image: Inverness Courier/Callum Mackay
‘It’s me and my brother and two other brothers from Inverness on the team. We’re all part of the same small club, Ardlach CC. There’s maybe nine or ten active members, so it’s great to first of all get four good players out on the ice and then to defend our title, we are absolutely delighted with that,’ skip Ally said. ‘For such a small club, it means a lot to win something like the Skins and to win it twice is excellent. Our home rink is Inverness, so to retain our title on home ice is extra special to us. And it’s great to play with your own family – not many clubs would be able to do that.’
The 2022 Inverness Skins was a special one for the Ardlach team and the win was much of a tribute, Ally noted. ‘Our president passed away earlier this year suddenly, so it meant a lot to us to try and win it this year especially. He was the club president, treasurer, he has done everything! And him and his wife were very heavily involved in organising the Inverness Skins; he was the backbone of the competition the last 10, 12 years. It was nice and touching for the four of us to go out there again, compete under Ardlach, and defend our title when we’re such a small club – it meant a lot to us!’
The return of the Inverness Skins was a welcome one: ‘It was great to get back on the go. It’s quite a social event, so even curlers who don’t play a lot throughout the season get a team together and commit to it. It’s about enjoying curling on and off the ice; the bar was busy, there was a bingo – there was a bit of a buzz about the ice rink over the weekend.’
GLASSERTON CC WIN WIGTOWNSHIRE RINK CHAMPIONSHIP FOR FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS
The quartet of Graeme Penrose, Tom Bell, Helen Vance, and Kerrin Forsyth won this year’s Wigtownshire Rink Championship – the first time since 1968 that a Glasserton CC team took the honours. They saw off Stoneykirk CC’s rink of Norman Brown, Andrew Chalmers, Alex Fergusson, and Grace Hurcomb in an excellent final at Stranraer Ice Rink.
At the presentation of the prizes, Rhins O’Galloway Province President PJD Wilson congratulated the winners and noted that the last time a Glasserton rink had got their hand on the coveted trophy, only one of the winning team had been born.
SCOTLAND’S WOMEN CLINCH MARGUERITA ROBERTS QUAICH AND EMBODY CURLING SPIRIT ON USA TOUR
The 20-strong team that embarked on the Scotland Women’s Curling Tour USA 2022 topped a phenomenal trip off by clinching the coveted Marguerite Roberts Quaich. They saw their US sisters in sport off by 719 to 536 points to bag the trophy that stands as a symbol of friendship and trust. ‘There were celebrations on the ice after the last stones were played as we knew we were bringing home the Marguerite Roberts Quaich. We had done it and we are so proud of our achievement,’ they say on their tour blog.
Perhaps more importantly, the tour was a celebration of curling and making friends, on and off the ice. The Scots were presented with a proclamation from Senator Chip Curry on behalf of the State Legislature of Maine at Belfast Curling Club to award their promotion pf camaraderie through curling. ‘We are immensely honoured and so proud to have been recognised in this way for fostering the spirit of curling, friendship, and citizen-to-citizen ambassadorship.’
Catch up on their blog for all details of their great journey.
FROM THE FIRST TO THE LAST: BANK OF SCOTLAND CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP BOWS OUT IN STYLE
The 2021-22 season saw the last-ever Bank of Scotland Curling Championship. A popular fixture on the calendar, the tournament started more than four decades ago and was held for the final time over three days in November 2021. Over the years, the Championship maintained its competitive edge, but it also created memories and friendships across the country to last a lifetime.
Teams from Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, Highland, and Perth were represented at the curtain-closer at Dewars Centre, Perth. Local team Perth, skipped by George Delgaty with Stuart Smith, Bill Duncan, and Jill Walker emerged victorious after defeating Edinburgh 8-2 in the final.
The weekend was particularly special for Bill Duncan (Perth) and Bill Ford (Edinburgh) who had both played in the very first Championship in 1977. Bill D has now tasted success in this event on 19 occasions and this most recent victory was particularly special for him: ‘We wanted to win the last one and now we have the trophy here in Perth,’ smiled Bill.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! – Clubs across the country celebrated their anniversaries this year.
St Andrews Curling Club, instituted in 1846, celebrated its milestone 175th Anniversary with an Anniversary Bonspiel in Perth this February. The ice was excellent and a very enjoyable and friendly afternoon’s curling was had by all, followed by a buffet and prizegiving. Initially, the club had around 35 founding members who would have played their matches on a pond two miles south of St Andrews, exposed to the elements of weather in Northeast Fife.
Evenie Water Curling Club celebrated their 150th Anniversary with a celebratory bonspiel at Forfar Ice Rink and an anniversary dinner this February. The bonspiel was held in true curling spirit with hospitality and friendship during the day followed by a dinner and prize giving in the evening at the ice rink. A 150th anniversary history book has been compiled from the club’s archive which dates to its foundation in 1871. The club’s ponds and bothy are still in existence, although dilapidated, at Middleton Estate, Friockheim. There are still some club members whose families have continuously curled with the club for more than 100 years.
Dundonald CC held a bonspiel to celebrate their 200th Anniversary at Ayr Ice Rink in March this year. The bonspiel was followed by an anniversary dinner in early April which was excellently chaired by President Morag Evans. 100 members and guests enjoyed a first-class meal followed by a toast to the club by Andrew Kerr, Dundonald club member and past president of the RCCC. The club organised a charity raffle in aid of Ayrshire Cancer Support. A cheque of £1,500 was presented to the charity’s ambassadors Yvonne and Brian Hendrie. Additionally, the magnificent sum of £680 was raised towards the Ukrainian Appeal and banked with the British Red Cross.
Old Fellows Curling Club held their 25-year Anniversary Bonspiel at the Peak, Stirling in October. 12 teams competed in what was a very sociable event followed by a meal at Stirling Golf Club.
