Report by Iain Scott

On a sunny Sunday, Penicuik met Merchiston for the annual Merchiston Team Points. 
Inadvertently, Penicuik tried to take an early un-fair advantage by fielding 9 players(!) – i am sure there will be a debriefing with the Curling Sub-Committee to understand why 😉  With play underway (with the correct number of players!) Penicuik started strongly in Striking & Inwicking, edging the opening skirmishes to set the tone, 37-25.
Merchiston hit back impressively in Drawing, taking that skill by 20–11, but across the card Penicuik proved the more consistent side.As holders Penicuik continued to show dominance in Guarding, Chap n’ Lie, & Raising, whilst both team produced confident scores in Chipping the Winner.
Merchiston fought back registering narrow wins in Inwicking and Wick & Curl In, but were unable to close the overall gap.With points accumulated across all ten disciplines, Penicuik’s greater depth told in the final totals, their 139 points comfortably seeing off Merchiston’s 111.
The result means Penicuik retain the Team Points trophy, rounding off an entertaining and competitive inter‑club fixture played in excellent spirit.
After play the teams retired to the bar area, where drinks were shared and the afternoon’s play was warmly discussed in the best traditions of inter‑club curling.
In the presentation, Iain Scott gladly accepted the trophy on behalf of Penicuik, from Merchiston’s Mike Harrington, bringing an enjoyable fixture to a very sociable close.

Annual Tulliallan Challenge, Saturday 7th March 2026

On a beautiful spring day, eight intrepid Penicuik curlers travelled north to Kinross Curling Rinkto represent Penicuik Culing Club against eight curlers from Tulliallan Curling Club in our annual challenge game which coincided with Scotland’s Rugby International match against France, soa weather eye was being kept on the scoreline from Murrayfield

Penicuik A, skipped by Iain Scott with Club President Margaret, David Gillespie and Roger Scott,were pitched against Tulliallan A, skipped by Mary Thomson, with Alasdair Macdonald, EileenPaterson and Alan Menzies

Penicuik B, skipped by Dave Anderson, with Dave Carr, Jean Noble, and Saho Arakawa, faced Tulliallan B, skipped by Alan Paterson, with Catriona Macdonald, Morag Jamieson and JaneShields

Playing the yellow stones on very swingy ice, Penicuik got off to a good start with rink A getting 2shots and rink B gaining 1 shot against the hammer. End two saw Tulliallan getting on to thescoreboard, each winning by a single shot. In ends 3, 4 and 5, Iain’s rink took singles to lead by 5shots to 1 at that stage, whilst Dave’s rink took a single in the 3rd and 2 in the 4th, in end 5 Alan raised his front red stone to reduce a potential 4 against to a single, resulting in the samescoreline on each sheet. Penicuik B played well to steal 4 shots in the 6th but in end 7 with 6 red stones in the house and 2 yellow stones looking very vulnerable, Alan played to take both out but was very unlucky that his last stone drew a fraction too much and took only one stone away resulting in 1 shot to Tulliallan with that game finishing 9 shots to 2 in Penicuik’s favour.

Meanwhile, Iain’s rink lost 3 shots in end 6 but got a single in the last to finish winners by 6 shots to 4. At one stage our colour-blind octogenarian caused great hilarity when he suggested “taking that blue stone away”.

The final aggregate score was Tulliallan 6 – Penicuik 15. Congratulations to Penicuik We retired to the clubrooms for food and refreshments to end a very enjoyable day’s curling at Kinross, played in the very best of spirits against our friends from Tulliallan.

President Alan presented President Margaret with the Challenge Trophy which she gracefully received with kind words of thanks to our hosts.

Dave Anderson

The Trophy is in our hands again.

More detail soon.

The 2nd “Try Doubles” Session took place on Sunday 1st February with 8
Penicuik Curlers keen to try this new discipline.
Kirsty McWilliam met with everyone upstairs to explain the rules and tactics
and answer any questions (there were several) before play started.
After the teams were drawn, each Doubles pairing played 4 ends followed by
“winners” and “losers” playing each other in the next 4 ends.
Fortunately Kirsty was on hand to keep everyone right and gradually our
understanding improved. With take-outs only allowed after the 4th stone,
draws and tap-ups had to be perfected. Players also enjoyed the format with
one player playing 1st and last stone and the other playing the middle 3
stones.
The session passed very quickly with all involved very enthusiastic about
their involvement.
The winners were Dave Carr and Nigel Henderson on +3 with the other
teams close behind.
Many thanks to Kirsty for guiding us through a second session of Doubles
and for her patience!
Those involved were enthusiastic about Penicuik considering the inclusion of
Doubles in the Club Fixtures next season.
Margaret Carr

ANNUAL MATCH V 37 CLUB

Over the past few years, the annual match against The 37 Club has had some dramatic finishes and this was no exception.

In the match 2 teams from Penicuik took on 2 teams from the 37 Club on Friday 30th January.

Penicuik was represented by Team A Dave Anderson, Dave Carr, Liz Anderson and Margaret Carr and Team B Iain Scott, Kirsty McWilliam, Alex Moir and Jean Noble.

The trophy is decided by games won, then ends then shots.

Team A started steadily and built up a 6-1 lead (4 ends to 1) after 5 ends. Team B also started by winning ends but big losses of 6 and 3 left them 10 – 5 down (but equal on ends) after 6 ends. It was looking like 1 game each but Penicuik winning on ends.

But Team A’s form slipped on the last couple of ends and 37 Club snatched a peel (but Penicuik were 5 – 3 up on ends).

If Team B could also get a peel then Penicuik would win on ends.

On the last end, Team B played well and were lying 3, with last stone to be played. A 2 would peel the game and win the trophy.

All eyes were on Stuart Williamson as he played the last shot. Stuart played a well controlled knock back on Penicuik’s 2nd stone to concede a single and win the game 10 – 9 (but 5 ends to Team B) and the trophy. Well done to the 37 Club.

We all then went upstairs for the normal pleasantries.

The trophy was not available on the day and will be presented at a later date.

An unfortunate blip to an excellent afternoon’s curling.

Our bonspiel was very well attended, with an impressive array of festive attire on display and a heroic quantity of sweeties consumed. The games ran almost without a hitch (we shall draw a discreet veil over the incident known only as “hammergate”).

Congratulations to our trophy winners: Jean Noble (Skip), Liz Anderson and Dave Carr. Commiserations—but also admiration—for Christine Hope (Skip), Geoff Dawe, Roger Scott and Dave Anderson, who proudly carried off the booby prize.

Play was followed by a most welcome feast of soup, sandwiches and mince pies, all generously washed down with tea and coffee, bringing a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon to a close—and almost the end of this half of the season.

Merry Christmas to everyone, and we look forward to welcoming you all back in the New Year.

The Social Committee 🎄🥌

Rink A Louise Clapperton, Jarrad Manesh, Ian Matheson, Kyle Baptie

Rink B Jean Noble, Liz Anderson, Dave Carr

Rink C Christine Hope, Geoff Dawe, Roger Scott, DaveAnderson

Rink D Karen Black, Alex Moir, Debbie Belcher, Alan McDonald

Rink E Lesley Broadwood, Graeme Cassie. Monica Matheson, Iain Scott

Rink F Jean Cassie, Saho Arakawa, Paul Clapperton, Jim Ramsay

Rink G Joanna Wallace, Margaret Carr, Mick Kampff, Ian Robertson

Rink H Pam Ramsay, Jenny Wray, Jim Hume, David Gillespie

Played on 30th November, 2025

Ten members entered this year’s competition where eight disciplines were played. As you will see from the table below Jean, Iain M, Jim R and Craig scored maximum points in The Striking. Scores of a full 4 points were also recorded by Graeme in The Chap & Lie and Jim H and Jim R in Chipping the Winner. It was Jim R’s score in The Chap & Lie that sealed the win. Alex and Craig had been in contention throughout and took 2nd and 3rd respectively. Stick play (Cues) were in play by three members and proved successful for Jim Hume who achieved the highest score for a Lead or 2nd. Well done to Saho for entering and playing better than her final score suggested! This season we are only holding one Points competition because of low entry numbers. If more members come forward next season, we may be able to run a second competition again.

Thanks (and well played) to Jean Noble for sponsoring the event and for buying all players a well deserved refreshment after the game.

Report by Jean Cassie

🌟 Stranraer Weekend – 21st to 23rd November 🌟

Ten intrepid Penicuik Curling Club members packed their bags (and possibly their sense of adventure) and headed for Stranraer for the Dalrymple Cup Qualifier weekend. The nine players—Jim & Pam Ramsay, Graeme & Jean Cassie, David Gillespie, Kirsty McWilliam, Karen Black, Jarrad Manesh, and Paul Clapperton—were kept in line and loudly cheered on by the ever-enthusiastic Barbara Gillespie.

🥌 The Teams

Penicuik 1:
David, Kirsty, Pam, Paul and Jarrad, rotating players across their three games with military precision (well… curling precision).

Penicuik 2:
Jim, Karen, Graeme and Jean, also taking on three games and proving a tough unit to crack.

🌍 Who We Faced

Over the weekend we took on a wonderfully mixed bag of opponents—including teams from Norway, Lithuania, andSorn (Ayrshire) . The competition was fierce, the games were tight, and every match brought its own wee bit of drama.

Penicuik 2 came heartbreakingly close to a semi-final place, missing out by just one end. So close you could practically hear the collective sigh echoing across the ice! We have succeeded in earning a runner up place in the March competition.

🏨 Hospitality at Its Finest

The North West Castle Hotel spoiled us rotten. We enjoyed great food, comfy surroundings, and some of the best ice you could wish for. On Saturday night, they even hosted a short  curling competition—complete with live music—and the festivities rolled on into the small hours. (Some may have curled better on Saturday night than Saturday morning…) https://youtu.be/cVuIqXjBg6s?si=p4Q4C-Gb6eMTfH5g is a link to a Video produced by Graeme Cassie.

Spectators just couldn’t believe the skills they were witnessing!

🎉 Final Thoughts

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend packed with laughter, competition, and great company. If you’ve never tried one of these events, get yourself signed up the next time!—seriously, you’re missing out.

A huge thank-you to Kirsty for organising the entry and keeping everyone on track throughout the weekend. We couldn’t have asked for a better team shepherd!

Report by Dave Anderson

Craig Brown with Jim Hume, Tom Griffin and Alex Moir and Dave Anderson with AlisterMcDonald, Ian Robertson and Liz Anderson took to the ice on Thursday 20th November to facetwo Midcalder rinks in the first round of the annual Swan Trophy. This trophy took its name from John Swan & Sons, livestock auctioneers who sponsored the event for many years.

It is a double rink competition with aggregate scores determining the outcome of the games

Penicuik rinks each lost 1 shot in the first end, Craig’s rink then lost a 4 in the second but got 1back in the 3rd. Meanwhile, Dave’s rink lost singles in ends 2 and 3 but came back to win singles in ends 4,5 and 6. Craig’s next three ends went with the hammer with Penicuik gaining 1 shot and Midcalder gaining 2, so after 6 ends the aggregate score was Penicuik 5 -10 Midcalder.

Then the wheels came off for Dave’s rink losing a 6 in end 7 and 3 in the final end making their score, Penicuik 3 – 13 Midcalder. Craig won a single in their final end making their score Penicuik 3 – 7 Midclader

The overall score was Penicuik 6 – 20 Midcalder. The games were played in good spirits and we wish Midcalder good luck in the next round.

Incase you did not see the results of the games posted on the Penicuik Curling Club website, we can reveal that the winning rink competed and completed all games with recorded wins.

The Hurley, which is sponsored by Dave and Margaret Carr is the first main competition of the season. It is a unique competition on the Penicuik calendar as it comprises of mini leagues where the winners of each league play the runners up in the opposite league in a knock-out to determine who plays in the final.

The final to find the winner was on November 7th between team Scott and team Ramsay. The ice favoured team Ramsay who had a 10-1 win and will be presented their medals at prize giving at the end of the season.

Team Scott included Iain Scott, Stuart Blackwood, Alister McDonald and Monica Matheson. Team Ramsay was listed as Jim Ramsay, Jim Hume, Ton Griffin and Louise Clapperton with thanks to Saho Arakawa for subbing in the final.

A full list of all results is published on the Hurley Page.