Monthly Archives: January 2016

Rink Championship Exit

Penicuik 1 met Corstorphine in the second round of the Rink Championship on Sunday morning (24 Jan), with Walter Brown at Skip, Ken Hunter, Jean Lennie, and John Jacobs.  Corstorphine skipped by Colin Campbell, with Aarhon Forsythe, Dan Arrendale, and Colin Baxter managed a comfortable win by 9 shots to 2, and we wish them well in their semi-final game.

Penicuik 2 met a strong Oxenfoord rink in their first round match on Sunday 13 December. Dave Anderson skipped the Penicuik rink of Jim Ramsay, Andrew Lambie, and Dave Carr. Penicuik stayed in the game until the last couple of ends when Oxenfoord ran out winners by two shots.

Pate Trophy

The annual match between Midlothian Province and Borders Province took place on Saturday 23 January at Murrayfield.   Penicuik were one of seven teams representing Midlothian and were drawn to play Duns; Ken Hunter skipped with Dave Anderson, Roger Scott, and Iain Scott.

The game was played on a some what tricky sheet 2; Penicuik took a single in the first end, our Skip was just too heavy with last stone to make it a brace.  In the second end Penicuik lay with a shot on either side both reasonably hidden and Duns left a draw to the open centre just inches short of taking shot.  However Duns then came back to take a good two at the third end.  Penicuik then took a strong grip on the game with a four, a two and a single, to establish a 10 – 2 lead.  Duns took a two in the last end to make the final score 10 – 4 in favour of Penicuik.  Afterwards we enjoyed the opportunity to socialise with Paul and his team from Duns, a really nice bunch of guys who will no doubt give any Midlothian rink a hard time in the return fixture at Kelso next year.

Overall Midlothian won the match by 55 shots to 43; home advantage is often a big factor in these matches.

West Linton Challenge Match

On 16th January, we played in the annual match against West Linton for the West Linton Trophy, a very nice glass trophy donated by Colin McCall a number of years ago.

The Penicuik teams were Dave Carr, Tom Alexander, Reg Dunbar and Margaret Carr; and Andrew Lambie, Ronnie Hope, Janette Lambie and Christine Hope.

Both games were close with the lead changing hands.  The first game to finish was Dave Carr v John Dykes, with John taking a single to tie the game at 4-4. Penicuik were looking good in the other game until Shona Watt played a great take out, which turned the game round and resulted in West Linton winning 7-5.

So, congratulations to West Linton for winning the trophy, which had been in Penicuik’s hands for a few years.

The evening ended with convivial refreshments!!

Dave Carr

1816 Commemorative Match

In February 1816, curlers from the newly formed Penicuik Curling Club ventured into Edinburgh to play the club’s first inter-club game against opponents Merchiston Curling Club.  Penicuik emerged as victors on the day however, in a return match played on Penicuik ice at the beginning of March 1816 the Merchiston curlers took the day.  To mark the bicentenary of these games, the Merchiston and Penicuik clubs met in a friendly fixture at Murrayfield on Tuesday evening (12 Jan).  The Penicuik team was Ken Hunter, Keith Morris, Tom Alexander, and Dave Carr; and the Merchiston team was Jim Cannon, Keith Anderson, David Hume, and Archie Smith.

Merchiston started off on the front foot and took a single in the first end.  They pressed hard in the second end and were unfortunate to lose a single.  After that the Penicuik team started to get a better grip on the game, and took two shots in each of the next three ends to go 7-1 up after five ends.  Merchiston came back with a well worked two at the sixth end.  In the final end a fine draw by Keith Morris saw Penicuik lying shot behind a gaggle of front stones.  However it was not to be, Jim Cannon with his last stone managed to just avoid a front stone and get an angled raise within the house to take shot.  Final score 7-4 to Penicuik.

Afterwards the players gathered to enjoy a sociable refreshment together and discuss the long association of their two clubs.  David Hume, President of Merchiston, had drawn up information from the PCC minutes to entertain the party.  It was mutually agreed that the fixture should become an annual event if suitable arrangements can be put in place.