EDINBURGH CURLING CLUB RULES 2023-24

To help you through your season please read and understand the competition rules if playing in Edinburgh Curling Club competitions. If in doubt contact ECC direct.

EDINBURGH CURLING CLUB COMPETITION RULES Updated for Season 2023-24

For all competitions RCCC rules apply unless specifically modified below.
Except for Pairs and Half Century League the following local amendments to RCCC rules apply:

– All games will be played to a bell, with a maximum of eight ends to be played.
– Unlimited substitutes are allowed and games should only be rearranged as a last resort.(Note: MCL cancellation fees may apply).
– All games will start immediately after the session start bell, or as soon as each team has atleast three players ready to play.
– A penalty of one shot for every ten minutes from the start bell, up to a maximum of threeshots, will be awarded to the non-offending team should the other team have fewer thanfour players at the start bell.
– If a team still has less than three players 30 minutes after the start bell, the game will beawarded to the non-offending team. The non-offending team will be given 5 ends & 6 shots and the offending team will be given 0 ends & -6 shots.
– Skips are responsible for ensuring that scorecards are completed correctly (including any penalties), signed, and placed in the Edinburgh Curling Club box within the ice hall.
– Results and standings will be published on the Curl Edinburgh website and ECC noticeboard. Any discrepancies should be raised with the office at the earliest opportunity.COUSIN TROPHYAll regular players and substitutes must be members of Edinburgh Curling Club.
Teams must comprise of two men and two ladies, playing in alternate order.
The competition will be run as a single round robin league. If less than five teams then it may be run as a double round robin league.
Two points awarded for a win, one point for a draw.
Ends, then shots up, then shots scored will be used as tie-breakers.
Prizes will be awarded to teams in first and second place.
Winners will be presented with the Cousin Trophy.HALF CENTURYAll regular players and substitutes must be members of Edinburgh Curling Club. All regular players and substitutes must be at least 50 years old.
The competition will be run as a single round robin league.
Two points awarded for a win, one point for a draw.Shots up, then shots scored, then ends won will be used as tie-breakers. Prizes will be awarded to teams finishing first, second and third in the league. The winners will be presented with the Haymarket Directors Trophy.

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JACKSON TROPHY

Invitations will be sent to the winners of all competitions run by Edinburgh Curling Club in the previous season.
The competition will normally be played as a knock-out, with the number of rounds determined by the number of entries. In the event of a tie, both teams will nominate one player to play a draw to the button, with the closest to the button determining the winner.
Should there be four entries, it may be run as a single round robin with the winner determined in the usual way (see Cousin Trophy).
The winners will be presented with the Jackson Trophy.

For season 23-24, The Jackson Trophy will be run as a special 14 team Schenkel event, to celebrate the centenary of the 1924 Olympic Gold medal, won by W K Jackson and his team.

LINLITHGOW TROPHY

All regular players and substitutes must be members of Edinburgh Curling Club.
All regular players and substitutes must also be members of the club they represent.
The competition will be run as a single round robin league plus potential play-offs. If less than five teams then it may be run as a double round robin league.
Two points awarded for a win, one point for a draw.
Ends, then shots up, then shots scored will be used as tie-breakers.
For play-offs, if used, the team in first place will go straight to the final. The teams in second and third place will play a semi-final, with the winners going on to the final.
Prizes will be awarded to the winners and losers of the final, if played.
If no play-offs, the prizes will be awarded to teams in first and second place on completion of the round robin.
Winners will be presented with the Linlithgow Trophy.

MONDAY LADIES LEAGUE

All regular players and substitutes must be members of Edinburgh Curling Club.
Substitutes may play for more than one team during the season. A substitute cannot be a regular member of another team in the league.
All games must be played on or before the date of the scheduled last game in the league.
The competition will be run as a single round robin league, in one or two sections depending on the number of entries.
Two points awarded for a win, one point for a draw.
Ends, then shots up, then shots scored will be used as tie-breakers.
Prizes will be awarded to the winners, runners-up and third placed team. Prizes are currently sponsored by Midlothian Province.

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PAIRS: LADIES PAIRS

All players must be members of Edinburgh Curling Club.
Specific rules & format will be determined by the number of entries received and available ice. These will be included with the draw sent to participants.
The Ladies Pairs trophy will be presented to the winners.

PAIRS: OPEN PAIRS

This Open RCCC qualifier will follow the relevant RCCC rules.
The competition format will depend on the number of entries and available ice.
It will normally be played as a knock-out with the number of rounds determined by the number of entries. Each game will be played over a maximum of six ends. In the event of a tie one extra end will be played. If still tied after the extra end, both teams will nominate one player to play a draw to the button, with the closest to the button determining the winner.
The Open Pairs trophy will be presented to the winners.

SWAN TROPHY

All regular players and substitutes must be members of Edinburgh Curling Club.
All regular players and substitutes must also be members of the club they represent.
Each club must provide two teams of four to play in each round.
The competition will be played as a double-rink knock-out, with the number of rounds determined by the number of clubs that enter.
Each club will receive one hammer in each match. A coin toss is used to determine stone colour for each club.
The winner of a match is determined by the total shots scored over the two games.
In the event of a tie, both clubs will nominate one player to play a draw to the button, with the closest to the button determining the winner. Players may only play their draw shot on the sheet of ice on which they played.
For the final, an extra end will be played by both teams. If the match is still tied, then the draw shot as detailed above will be used to determine the winner.
Prizes will be awarded to the winners and losers of the final.
The winners will be presented with the Swan Trophy.

A Day at The Bowling

A DAY AT THE BOWLING CLUB

Our club had a get together at Kirkhill Bowling Club on Sunday 20th of August 23. This day was arranged because it wasn’t possible to agree a Croquet date at Penicuik House. The 27 members who attended were given a quick guide as to how best to play their bowls. The weather was very kind to us as were our hosts at Kirkhill.

Food and Drink were provided. The food was organised by Jan Stuart and her Social Committee while Kirkhill provided Bar services,

It was commented by one of the Kirkhill members that they had never seen so many bowls covering the green. To start, Bowls were short and long and rarely near the Jack but as the day progressed our members play improved and the final score was close.

Happy Winners received a BIG PINK BOTTLE OF FIZZ which they didn’t share!

It was the rink led by Ken Hunter and supported by

Sheena Dawe and Reg Dunbar that took the prizes

that were presented by Jan Stuart

Sorry about the quality of the photo. If anyone has a better one please forward it on.

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Street Curling at Penicuik in the Park

Craig Brown was on the go early on a sunny Saturday, 27th May, and with his team of helpers was soon ready for some Street Curling fun at Penicuik in the Park.

The Street Rink and banner for Penicuik Curling Club didn’t take long to attract interest, and with Geoff Dawe and David Ballantyne on the brushes, and Jim Ramsay organising the queue the fun was soon in full flow.

A practice shot was permitted, then down to the serious competition – with all age groups willing to give it a go from the very young to parents and grandparents, some keen matches were played. Youngster were rewarded with a sticker for their efforts. There was also the opportunity, for those who could lift them, to guess the weight of a couple of real curling stones with the prize being a free Try Curling Session for two at Murrayfield Curling Rink.

The point of the exercise was of course to raise the profile of our Club locally, and hopefully encourage some new members. Well done to Craig, Geoff, Jim and David for their hard work on the day.

Annual Prize Giving Dinner 2023

The Club’s Annual Prize Giving Dinner took place on Saturday 22^nd April with 45 members and family attending. The staff at Glencorse Golf Club had ensured that the tables were beautifully set, with Liz Anderson providing colourful spring flower arrangements as a final touch. Trophies and medals were polished and sparkling, ready for presentation. This year, there was also going to be a Raffle with a wide assortment of prizes donated by the Committee. Geoff Dawe oversaw the ticket sales and was very adept at encouraging members to dip into their pockets for cash.

With everyone seated, Club President Iain Scott formally welcomed attendees and read out a note of apology and best wishes from our Patron, Sir Robert Clerk who along with his wife Lady Faye were unable to attend this year due to a prior engagement. Iain commented on the season’s successes and reflected on the sad loss of Ronnie Hope at around this time last year, before raising a toast to his memory. He also acknowledged Ronnie and Jim Ramsay’s contribution to the recent Paul Murton TV programme featuring outdoor curling at Penicuik Estate. Jean Lennie was invited to recite the Curlers Grace, before guests settled down to a delicious meal prepared by the Billy and the catering staff at the Golf Club.

With Dinner over the presentations were due to start, but firstly Iain called on Janette Lambie to step forward to collect her 50 Year Medal, delayed from last year – see separate report. Iain also acknowledged all the hard work by Craig Brown’s Social Committee and others in organising and preparing for the Dinner.

So, to business – to much cheering and applause, the various winners were presented starting with the Bonspiels and culminating with the Kettle Trophy retained by Dave Anderson as Skip, along with Kirsty McWilliam, Andy Cameron and Graeme Cassie, the last two unknown to Dave at the start of the season. Kirsty, winning Skip in the Thirds Competition, had been unable to attend the Dinner, and would probably have needed a Security Van to transport her array of Trophies home. The Outdoor Trophy won by Jim Ramsay’s rink, and a new Trophy donated by David Gillespie for the best Points score from a Lead or Second were among those presented.

The biggest cheer of the night however was reserved for the ladies who had won and retained the Challenge Crook, undoubtedly seasoned curlers but unlikely to be invited on Britain’s Got Talent for their singing ability. Roger Scott, still recovering from the shock of his team’s defeat commented on the unerring focus of Margaret’s rink in sticking to their task.

There are lots more photos in the gallery of the various prize winners.

With the formalities over, David Gillespie proposed a final vote of thanks, guests were invited to collect their Raffle prizes and with time left Craig set up the floor for a ‘Nearest the Bottle’ competition eventually won by Gary Clapperton.

All in all, a great evening to finish off the curling season.

Report by Jean Noble

Closing Bonspiel

The 2022-23 curling season officially came to an end on Saturday 11th March in a hugely busy day at Murrayfield Curling Rink. Penicuik players were amongst many taking to the ice for their Closing Bonspiel. Two unfortunate last minute call-offs and some frantic phone calls on Saturday morning to get replacements led to last minute changes to the published teams. Nevertheless, everyone was eager to make the most of the competition and enjoy the ice for the last time.

With score cards written, and with clear instructions on order of play and opposing team at the end of each sheet, the fun began.

As always, there are the winners and there are the losers. After 7 ends played the results were as follows:

Iain Scott and David Carr’s team finished equal on +7. However Iain’s team of himself, Alan McDonald, Janette and Louise were awarded the Trophy on the basis of winning more ends. David Gillespie’s rink was third on +3, Craig’s Team scored +1, Dave Anderson’s team finished on -9, and finally Margaret Carr’s team of Jean, Graeme and Saho holding up everyone else at -11.

The Mary McConnell Trophy and Medal presentations took place at the rink before the majority of players headed over to the Murrayfield Hotel to enjoy a delicious buffet meal after the event.

Many thanks to Jean Lennie for sponsoring the event and providing the prizes, and to the social committee for organising the final event of the season.

Report by Jean Noble

Province League

Penicuik’s campaign in the Province League Division 3 came to an end last night, Tuesday 7th March.

During the season the rink of Iain Scott (Skip), Dave Anderson, Kirsty McWilliam and David Gillespie played against rinks from Edinburgh Rotary, Merchiston, RBS and Clydesdale Bank, winning three of the four games and finishing on equal points and ends won with Clydesdale Bank who were placed top of the league by dint of their superior shot difference of 3.

However, in this competition the top two teams are required to play-off to ascertain 1st position so the rink, with Liz Anderson standing in at very short notice for unavailable David Gillespie, played this game against CB which we managed to win by 7 shots and 4 ends to 4 shots and 3 ends.
Iain and Dave stood very nervously in the head as we suddenly realised that if the opposition skip playing his last stone had managed to nick out our only counting stone and lie he would have achieved an 8. Fortunately for us his shot drew more than he expected and clipped our guard leaving them with only 1 shot. Relief beyond belief!

The upshot is that both rinks under current rules are promoted to Division 2 for next season.

Report by Dave Anderson

Pairs Competition

Eight evenly matched contesting Pairs took to the ice on Sunday 5th March to take part in this season’s competition.

The seriousness of the rivalry was evident in the first round games when after 4 ends, Dave A. and Craig Brown’s teams were all square with Skips drawing the house to decide the winner. Similarly, at the second start time, Dave Carr and Kirsty McWilliam were also forced to draw the house to decide the split.

After the first round games were complete, the pairings of Dave A and Stuart, Margaret and Roger, Kirsty and Jean and finally Liz and Alan progressed to the High Road Semis. Low Road Semifinal games were Craig and Vic against Dave Gillespie and Pam, whilst Dave Carr and Karen were matched against Iain and Graeme.

With brief respites for a plate of soup and a hot drink, the afternoons curling continued with those not on the ice watching from the balcony, and occasional words of advice (or laughter at flukey shots) heard from the gallery. Craig and Vic won through to the Low Road Final against Iain and Graeme and after one last hard fought game when Craig’s sweeping skills went into overdrive, they came out victorious as winners of the Low Road.

In the High Road, Margaret and Roger triumphed over Dave A and Stuart, whilst Kirsty and Jean won the match against Liz and Alan, despite Alan taking out every decent stone Jean played to the house and Liz’s producing some amazing draws.

With Jean and Roger struggling to get their weight on the re-pebbled ice in the first end, it was down to the Skips. Kirsty was deciding tactics and playing brilliantly, taking a 3 in the first end. Margaret and Roger continued to fight back but with the bell stopping play after the fifth end the final score was 2-5 against.

Congratulations to Craig and Vic as Low Road Winners and to Kirsty and Jean as Pairs Champions.

Many thanks to all who stayed on to watch the finals, and also to Karen and Graeme for standing in at short notice as reserves.

Report by Jean Noble