Keir Curling ClubForfar Indoor SportsStranraer Ice RinkLivingston Curling ClubMuthill Curling ClubUgie Curling ClubBorder Ice RinkInverness Ice CentreCurl Aberdee

Your CurlerThe Royal Caledonian Curling Club Member Ezine

26Issue

November 2014

In this issue...

www.royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org

Blast from the Past

Charles Lees’ Two Sports MasterpiecesUnited

History of the Swiss Tour

Swiss Tour Update

Cameron Bryce Appointment

Strategy Update

Features

European Playdowns

Asham Under 17 Slam

Asham Under 21 Slam

Dates for your Diary

Competitions

02 Clubs & Rinks November IssueKEIR CURLING CLUB Iona Paterson was first introduced to curling through the Curling’s Cool programme in her hometown of Stranraer. Now a student at Stirling University, she decided to take up the game again after being inspired by the Olympic Games and participating in a course of Beginner Classes at the Peak. In one of her first outings for Keir Curling Club, Iona was a member of the side that scored an 8 ender, something that most curlers can only dream of achieving in their curling life – what a start! Iona and team members Lizzie Forsyth (who returned to curling this season after a few years gap) and Lisa Davie (the club’s youngest member at the age of 14) were led calmly by skip Andrew McAughtrie to build up stones in the house whilst opposition were distracted by their own stones. After the end was complete, it was vice-skip Lisa Davie who agreed the score of 8 with her opposing vice-skip. Here is a picture of the victorious side.

Pictured: Andrew McAughtrie, Iona Paterson, Lisa Davie and Lizzie Forsyth

It has been a busy first month of the new curling season with new competitions and new leagues getting off the ground. First up was the 25th Anniversary Bonspiel where Fothringham CC (pictured) emerged victorious, but it was to be a close run affair with Edzell CC only one shot behind in second place. Fothringham CC were to follow this up with a very fine win in the inaugural Swing & Sweep competition which involved a 9-hole game of golf followed by several 2-end games of curling with the golf and curling scores combined to determine the winner. Edzell CC finished runners-up here again, so no rivalry building here then? Next up was the National Super League Finals played with rinks from all around Scotland vying for the title. Dundee 1 won the day in a closely fought final against Forfar 2. The SCT Forfar Open attracted 16 top teams from around Scotland with Team Edwards competing for the first time since qualifying for the European Championships. After a tough round robin section Team Fleming and Team Martin qualified for the Women’s Final with Team Fleming lifting the trophy and £400 cash prize. Team Fleming made it through to the overall final meeting an on form Team Edwards who eventually took control of the game to become SCT Forfar Open Champions for 2014. The SCT Forfar trophy and £400 was a just rewards for a hard weekends work. A big thank you to all the rinks that entered and supported all of the competitions. Also this month, we were very pleased to see the new Novice League kick off so successfully and equally pleased to witness the creation of the new Forfar Virtual Club, duly constituted with a keen committee ready to push on and develop our new bank of curlers and play in the new Virtual Club League.

Report and photo courtesy of Mike Ferguson

Last but not least Forfar Indoor Sports has a new website and we are as proud as punch with it. Considerable thought and effort has gone into its design. We have included a new curling calendar that enables our curlers to view who is playing when and see when there are empty rinks and book them on-line. You can even check up on the scores for certain games. The curling results section allows our clubs and curlers to see where they are placed in our major leagues and with the majority of our competition draws available for download, so there can be no excuse for not knowing the date of the next round and such like. We have also built in a curling clubs page that shows where our clubs come from in the area and by following the link you can view full club details. We hope this will help new curlers find their local club, make contact and build relationships. We are also currently working on a live video link and a live on-line scoring page. These items combined with our new Forfar Indoor Sports app for apple and android demonstrate our commitment to use modern technology to its best advantage, to keep our curlers fully informed and hopefully help attract new players to the sport at Forfar.

FORFAR INDOOR SPORTS

The new site can be found at:

www.forfarindoorsports.co.uk

03Clubs & RinksNovember IssueSTRANRAER ICE RINK Stranraer Ice Rink recently honoured their international players and, in return, the current women’s senior world champions presented Stranraer Ice Rink Curling Club with their world title banner. The 2014 World and Scottish Senior Champions, were skipped by Wigtown Curling Club member Christine Cannon, to a heartwarming victory in front of a partisan home crowd at the Dumfries Ice Bowl in April, when coming from behind to beat a strong Canadian rink 7-5 in the final. Ice rink manager Gail Munro presented four of the winning squad, Christine, Margaret Richardson, Isobel Hannen and Margaret Robertson, with engraved crystal vases and flowers to mark their achievement. Replying on behalf of her team, Christine Cannon thanked Gail and the members for their generosity, adding: “We were all delighted with our success in Dumfries and we would like to thank everyone at Stranraer Ice Rink for their support. We came here to practice a lot before the championships and stayed in the hotel and that was a big factor in our preparation...Therefore, we would like to present the world champions’ banner to Gail and Stranraer Ice Rink.” After the handover to loud cheers from the members, an overwhelmed Gail Munro thanked the team saying: “Wow! I accept this banner on behalf of Stranraer Ice Rink with immense pride. Anyone who was at Dumfries was incredibly proud of what Christine and her team achieved there.” The banner will now be hung in the ice rink alongside the three other world title banners brought home by Stranraer curlers; the men’s world championships from 1999 and the two men world junior titles from 1980 and 1981.

Report and photo courtesy of Louise Kerr

The presentations began by the members honouring the girls’ Scottish junior champion Naomi Brown from Stoneykirk, who, along with other members of her rink Gina Aitken, Rowena Kerr and Rachel Hannen, had gone on the represent Scotland at the World Junior Curling Championships in Switzerland in March. In the absence of the team, the mothers of Naomi and Rachel, Lynn Brown and Isobel Hannen, received the engraved gifts on behalf of their daughters. Another mum, Kate Adams, was also on hand to receive a similar gift on behalf of her daughter Vicki, the pride of the Lochans, who won Olympic bronze at the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, in February with her GB teammates Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan and Claire Hamilton, as well as picking up a silver medal for Scotland at the European Curling Championships earlier in the season.

LIVINGSTON CURLING CLUB Livingston Curling Club recently received a surprise e-mail from Ailsa Anderson, asking if we could put out a team to play on the 28th September at 1:45pm at Murrayfield against the Irish Ladies Curling Team, who were preparing to travel to Holland the next week to participate in the European C League competition. Although it was at extremely short notice, conflicted with a scheduled committee meeting and four of our league 1 teams were playing at 3:45pm that day, we managed to get sufficient volunteers to put out a team. The team, which was skipped by Josh Kellock, supported by Pamela Hart, Betty Rodgers and Jim Wilson made sure that they gave Irish a good workout.

Report by Alan Ogilvie

UGIE CURLING CLUB Ugie Curling Club hosted its 2nd annual Bonspiel on the 1st November at Curl Aberdeen. The club was founded in 1989 and admitted to the RCCC in 1990. The Bonspiel was enjoyed by members of Ugie Curling Club and neighbouring rinks, Aberdeen Wheelchair Curling Club, Fochabers Curling Club, Forres Curling Club, Granite City Ladies Curling Club, Moray Juniors, Turriff Curling Club, Team Leudi and Team Maxwell. Turriff Curling Club narrowly won the Bonspiel, with Team Maxwell runners up. The event was sponsored by anCnoc (Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky), from the Knockdhu Distillery in Aberdeenshire, in conjunction with Taylor’s Furniture House and BIBBB. Pictured are Bonspiel winners Turriff Curling Club with the competition sponsors. Report and photo courtesy of Karen Wares

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04 Clubs & Rinks November IssueMUTHILL CURLING CLUB On 17th November 1739, Muthill Curling Club (Society) was formally established and as such constitutes one of Scotland’s and indeed the World’s oldest curling clubs. The club became affiliated to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC) in 1843.To mark 275 years of near continuous curling, courtesy of “Jack Frost”, “Lord and Master of the Ice” and latterly and more predictably, the artificial ice of the 20th century “ice rinks” the club are hosting a Bonspiel and dinner. The event will take place at Dewar’s Ice Rink, Perth on 22nd November and entirely in keeping with the spirit of “Scotland’s ain Game” we begin with the friendly rivalry of an inter club Bonspiel with Muthill taking on their sister clubs in the Upper Strathearn Province. For the day Loch Ard and Bearsden Curling Clubs will play under the banner of Muthill. The Bonspiel will be formally opened with the delivery of

the “Muthill Fluke”, a 55lb channel stone, which belonged to the founding member of the Club, the Reverend William Hally. The stone is dated 1700 and forms part of the RCCC’s curling history collection. The Bonspiel will be followed by a relaxed dinner which will include the prize giving, speeches honouring Muthill Club and our brother and sister curlers of competitor clubs and of course the RCCC. One of the striking features of the early historical documents is the Club crest designed and published in 1821 which bears the motto “Guard Well & Sweep Clean” a precept as true then as it is now.

Report courtesy of Bill McIntosh

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05Clubs & RinksNovember IssueBORDER ICE RINK The Border Ice Rink Ladies section ran a successful Ladies Challenge competition on the 22nd and 23rd October. Sixteen teams played in two sections under a schenkel system. The top teams from each section played in the high road final and the second two teams played in the low road final. This year’s event saw nine away rinks from all over Scotland competing for the Challenge Trophy. It also gave away rinks the chance to try Kelso ice before the Henderson Bishop finals in February. The two sections saw some fierce competition, with a high standard of curling and some amazing shots from both the home and away rinks. Players included two of the current Scottish Curling Women’s Champions, Kerry Barr and Barbara Macfarlane and one of the current World Senior Women’s Curling Champions, Margaret Robertson. At the end of the first day of play, an evening reception and dinner was held in the club room. Even off the ice there were some serious tactics being played out, with one team in particular trying very hard to get their next morning’s opponents just that little bit tipsy on the free flowing Prosecco! The high road final was contested between two local rinks unbeaten in their sections. The winners were Marion Pate (skip) Liz Martin, Isla Forsyth and Nina Clancy. The runners up were June Swan (skip) Gillian Smith, Christine McLain and Sue Brewis.

Report by Nina Clancy

The low road final winners were a Murrayfield rink of Kerry Barr (skip) Barbara Macfarlane, Becca Kelsey and Jenny Barr. While runners up were another local rink of Fiona Hodge (skip) Helen Forbes, Cath Brown and Chris Lucas. The Ladies committee would like to thank all the teams who took part, especially those who travelled from further afield. We are also very grateful to our sponsors - Bairnkine Holiday Cottages, Cobblers of Melrose and Daisy Boo.

Report courtesy of Ormond Smith

HIGHLAND CURLING DEVELOPMENT GROUP The Highland Curling Development Group is delighted to announce the award of a Grant from the Big Lottery Fund which will be used for the support of Curling at Inverness Ice Centre. Whilst both coaching schemes and programmes will benefit from the grant, the Group will be providing new equipment for the use of participants in the sport. An order has been placed for 50 new curling brushes to replace the aging present stock and in addition 10 curling crutches will also be supplied. These have been found to be most beneficial when introducing beginners to the sport. Wheelchair curlers and able bodied curlers who suffer from back or knee troubles will also benefit from the supply of 5 curling extender cues and mindful of health and safety when on the ice, the Group has also purchased a supply of protective headbands. With the Try Curling initiatives in full swing, the Group is encouraged with the number of newcomers to the sport and the new equipment can only enhance their experience and enjoyment of curling.

CURL ABERDEEN On Wednesday 29th October, the Curl Aberdeen Ladies Centre held a one day bonspiel, in which 12 teams competed in. Teams from Curl Aberdeen and other rinks played with Liz Paul’s team (pictured) eventually coming out winners. The day started with Marion Malcolm welcoming all the competitors, with tea, coffee and butteries on offer. They then played 4 ends and came off for some lunch of soup and sandwiches and did their tombola, as well as, looking around the stalls that had been arranged by the organising committee, for the ladies to browse and shop. After this they again went back on the ice for another 4 ends and waiting for the players coming off were tea, coffee and scones with clotted cream and jam. The day was completed a quiz made by the Ladies Centre before going on for their final 4 ends of the day.

Report and photo courtesy of Stuart McLachlan and Curl Aberdeen

www.royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org tel: 0131 333 3003

Your Curler is published by The Royal Caledonian Curling Club.

If you would like to be part of the next issue of Your Curler please click the link below and fill out our online form. Deadline for articles is 9th December 2014. www.royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org/next issue

RCCC STRATEGY 2015-19 The RCCC’s current strategy for the sport is in its last six months and has served the organisation well over the last four years. In preparation for the next four year period a review was undertaken with input from staff, board and ninety members who responded to the online survey that was promoted on our website. The new strategy is now taking shape and the core aims will continue to include: Membership, Development, Coaching, Competition and Performance, but will now include Facilities as a priority. The partnership between facilities and clubs is vitally important and the RCCC will commit to develop its work in this area to help to ensure the facilities are better supported in future.

The other change will be in the drive to further develop the link between competitions and development. The sport enjoys huge publicity around the Olympic/Paralympic games once every four years and in future the work in this area will be enhanced through the successful TryCurling brand that helps direct new people into the sport.

Cameron Bryce has recently been appointed as the part-time Border Curling Development Officer and has been busy co-ordinating schools for the Curling’s Cool programme, Try Curling events and development programmes. Border Ice Rink has recently created a new website with details of all their programmes.

NEW BORDER CURLING DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

06 Features November Issue

For more info, visitwww.bordericerink.co.uk

A copy of the draft strategy will be available at:

http://www.royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org/about-us/structure/board/

07FeaturesNovember IssueCHARLES LEES’ TWO SPORTS MASTERPIECES UNITED Two great masterpieces have been brought together at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. Charles Lees’ iconic painting, The Grand Match at Linlithgow Loch (1848) is now on display alongside Lees’ other world famous painting The Golfers (1847), as part of the Playing for Scotland: The Making of Modern Sport exhibition. The Grand Match at Linlithgow Loch depicts the famous encounter between curling rinks from north and south of the River Forth in 1848 on Queen Mary’s Loch in Linlithgow, and contains 47 portraits of distinguished curlers of the time. This hugely impressive painting has recently been restored, following a successful fund raising campaign by the Scottish Curling Trust, something which would not have been possible were it not for the generous support from members of the RCCC. At the time Lees painted his curling masterpiece, the sport was at the height of its popularity, and around half of the sports clubs in Scotland were curling clubs; the game was played as far north as Aberdeen but did not become popular in the Highlands until the 1870s. The match immortalised by Lees attracted 680 curlers and 6,000 spectators, demonstrating the importance of the new railway network in creating a mass audience for sport. Charles Lees was born in Cupar, Fife in 1800 and trained as a painter with the great Scottish master, Sir Henry Raeburn. From the 1840s he began to specialise in the depiction of sporting subjects and The Golfers was his first major painting of this type. Its huge success was repeated with the Grand Match of Linlithgow in 1848 and both paintings are now among the most significant sporting paintings in the world. Commenting on the display, Cristopher Baker, Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery said: “It’s wonderful to be able to bring these two paintings together, and we are grateful to the RCCC for their generosity in lending The Grand Match at Linlithgow Loch, making it possible for a great number of people to see and enjoy this remarkable painting. The Grand Match and The Golfers reveal the transformation of curling and golf into truly popular Scottish sports, midway through the nineteenth century.” Bruce Crawford, Chief Executive Officer of The Royal Caledonian Curling Club added: “We are privileged to witness the occasion when these two historic masterpieces depicting great Scottish sporting events have been brought together in Playing for Scotland. The Grand Match at Linlithgow Loch has been restored this year, following a three year fundraising campaign, led by Alan Sloan and supported by hundreds of curlers and art lovers. We must thank them all for making the restoration possible and bringing the painting back to life and back on public display after 20 years in storage.” There has not been an outdoor Grand Match for 35 years, though we are always hopeful that sufficient frost will make it possible again.

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08 Features November IssueTHE HISTORY OF THE SWISS TOUR

To celebrate the Swiss Tour currently underway in ice rinks across Scotland, we look back 47 years to the sixteen Scottish men who were the very first to Tour to Switzerland in 1967. The Swiss Tour began in 1963 when 16 Swiss curlers were invited by RCCC to tour Scotland. Standing far right in the second row is David Robinson who was Captain of the Scottish teams. Pictured from back L-R: Bob Kerr, Scott Weddell, James Donald, Duncan Nicol, Baird Mathews, Eddie Cullen, Alistair Graham, Bill Black, James Hamilton, Chalky White & David Robertson. Front: Jimmy Stoddart, Alan Stewart, Archie Holmes, John Scottm, David Liddell.

SWISS TOUR UPDATE The 2014 Swiss Tour is now in full swing, with group of 21 Swiss curlers are currently traveling around Scotland, it is due to end with a closing match against the RCCC at Murrayfield on 21st November. Compared to the tour matches against Canada and America there are a number of slight differences. For instance there is no trophy at stake, this is a friendly tour which takes place every five years. Unlike many other tours, the Swiss are not playing in set teams. Instead the 21 visiting players will simply rotate as necessary. For the last few tours, the Swiss tourists have always included musicians who have entertained the Scots often

incorporating Swiss traditions like the alphorn. This year will be no different and they are even bringing with them Maya Rymann who is one Switzerland’s most distinguished yodellers. Indeed many of the musicians and in fact many of the other curlers, have visited Scotland on the Swiss Tour before. For some this will be the second, or even third Scottish Tour. Even if you aren’t playing against them, find out if they are coming to an ice rink near you and take a part in their unique visit.

Report courtesy of Joe Barry

Advert from the RCCC Annual 1931. Source: Digitized RCCC Annuals.

Blast from the Past...

09Comps & EventsNovember Issue

Dates for your Diary...

14-16 NOV SCOTTISH PROVINCE CHAMPIONSHIP GREENACRES CURLING RINK

14-16 NOV INTERNATIONAL ZO WOMEN’S CURLING TOURNAMENT, SUI WETZIKON, SUI

14-16 NOV ABERDEEN LADIES OPEN, CURL ABERDEEN 14-16 NOV COPENHAGEN INTERNATIONAL, DENMARK COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

14-17 NOV RED DEER CURLING CLASSIC, CANADA RED DEER, AB, CANADA

16 NOV SKILL AWARDS CHALLENGE BRAEHEAD CURLING,

18-20 NOV NATIONAL MASTERS MEN’S CURLING CHAMPIONSIP - QUALIFIERS GREENACRES CURLING RINK,

19-23 NOV THE NATIONAL – GRAND SLAM OF CURLING, CANADA, SAULT STE. MARIE, ON, CANADA

19-23 NOV CANADIAN OPEN, RICHMOND, BC, CANADA

21-23 NOV EDINBURGH SENIOR INVITATION MURRAYFIELD CURLING,

22-29 NOV LE GRUYÈRE EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2014 CHAMPÉRY, MANITOBA, SUI

22-23 NOV STAR REFRIGERATION NATIONAL WHEELCHAIR CURLING PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP, BRAEHEAD CURLING

27-30 NOV EUROPEAN JUNIOR CURLING TOUR, THUN, SUI,

28-30 NOV CATHY KERR MEMORIAL – WHEELCHAIR BONSPIEL, OTTAWA, ON, CANADA,

29-30 NOV ASHAM UNDER 17 SLAM GREENACRES CURLING RINK

5-7 DEC DOUBLE RINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, STRANRAER ICE RINK

5-7 DEC US OPEN – WHEELCHAIR BONSPIEL, UTICA, NY

5-7 DEC STIRLING CURLING CHALLENGE, THE PEAK

5-7 DEC SCOTTISH CURLING JUNIOR MENS CHAMPOINSHIP QUALIFIERS, PERTH

Your new look Dates for your Diary...Simply click on the dates to find out more information.

LANARKSHIREThe next stage of the Asham Under 17 Slam took place at Lanarkshire Ice Rink from 1st to 2nd November. 24 teams took part in the competition, split over 6 sections. Cameron McNay (Lockerbie) and his team of Ryan McCormack, Alistair Middleton and Angus Bryce made history by being the first team in the Asham Under 17 Slam to score an eight ender award; they will receive a plaque for display, certificates and badges from the RCCC in due course in recognition of their achievement. The High Road final was a very close affair with Ross Whyte’s team up against Luke Carson’s team. Team Carson managed to edge ahead in the fourth end to take the score to 3-1. Team Whyte fought back however and levelled the score at 3-3 in the 7th end when they stole a one. In the end though Luke Carson with his team of Iain Waddell, George Ballantyne and Duncan McFadzean kept their nerve and secured a 4-3 win to take first place.

For a full report go to

Asham Under 17 Slam Lanarkshire

10 Comps & Events November IssueEUROPEAN PLAYDOWNS

Teams Muirhead and Edwards will represent Scotland at the Le Gruyère European Curling Championships at Champéry, Switzerland after winning their respective women’s and men’s European Playdowns in Perth from 16th to 19th October. In the women’s playdown Eve Muirhead’s team topped the group with four wins out of four with Team Lauren Gray securing second spot on two wins. They met in the best of three final with Muirhead taking the two victories needed to seal their place, the first on Saturday night winning by 9-1 and the second a closer affair on Sunday morning by 5-3. In the men’s playdown it was Teams Edwards and Murdoch who faced each other in the finals after Edwards saw off Brewster in the Tie Break. Edwards drew first blood by winning Saturday night’s final 6-4. Murdoch’s team fought back on Sunday morning however to draw level after a tight 5-4 victory but it was in Sunday afternoon’s vital final game that Edwards finally saw off Murdoch in an extra end to win by 8-6.

Pictured: Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicky Adams, Sarah Reid and Lauren Gray

Pictured: David Edwards, John Penny, Scott Macleod, Billy Morton

Full line scores from each game and final standings

can be found at European Playdowns

INVERNESS In the women’s Final Team Morrison (Rebecca Morrison, Amy Bryce, Leanne McKenzie and Becca Baird) faced Team MacDonald (Lesley Young, Amy MacDonald, Katherine Spain and Marran Nicol). MacDonald’s rink got off to a slow start in the final, the loss of two against the head in the second following multiple misses leaving them a mountain to climb against a firing Morrison rink. However they hung in and posted a deuce in seven to trail 4-3, forced a single then squared the game with a deuce in nine. In the end Morrison managed to take a three in the 10th end for a slightly unreflective 8-5 score line and the title. The men’s Final saw Team Bryce (Cameron Bryce, Zack Stewart, Fraser Kingan and Frazer Shaw) take on Team Barr (Grant Barr, Robert Fawns, Fraser Thomson and Neil Sutherland) and Team Bryce exploited their last stone advantage in the opening end of the final, clinically finishing off excellent early play from his rink to post a triple. A steal in three and a deuce in five saw him lead 6-1 at the halfway stage. Barr manufactured a deuce in eighth but decided to offer handshakes, after Bryce posted a single in nine for an 8-4 win and the trophy.

For a full report go to the Asham

Under 21 Slam Inverness

The 2014 European Curling Championships will take

place in Champéry, Switzerland from 22-29 November.

Visit http://ecc2014.curlingevents.com/

Photos by Tom Brydone