Author: Peter Barrett

Howie Cup – Match Day 4

The late Tuesday night session caught out some teams with two good wins and two really close results.

Douglas Reid 8 – 1 Gavin Reid

Missing the core of his team, it was the 6th end before Gavin managed to get the granny off, scoring his only shot of the game. Dougie’s in form team were steadily stealing shots up to this point, and rounded off with a 2 in the seventh. Dougie continues unbeaten after four games.

David Mundell 9 – 2 James Whiteford

Returning from his skiing holiday, Jimuk found himself 6-1 down after three ends. David then stole a further two singles before the last two ends went with the hammer and an early finish.

Craig Reid 8 – 7 David Reid

This battle of younger generation Reid brothers was a close game throughout. Restricting Craig to a single in the first, David replied with a deuce and stole a single in the third. Craig then took deuces in the fourth and sixth to lead 5-4.

David must have thought he’d done enough with a 3 in the seventh to open up a 7-5 lead. Craig however, had other ideas and anything David could do, Craig could do too, winning the game with a 3 of his own in the eighth.

Robert Wilson 7 – 8 Peter Barrett

After Sunday’s big loss, the last thing Rabbie wanted was to lose a 4 at the first. 1 down in the second with last stone to play, Rabbie was struggling to identify a shot. Only when on the hack did he see, and play, a straight raised takeout to score 2. Mistakes from Peter and his team allowed Rabbie to take control and lead 7-5 after six ends.

The match turned again in the seventh. While lying two against and attempting to clear guards, Jim Young managed a double raise to lie shot. Rabbie failed to remove it and for the second time in the match, Peter narrowly missed the draw for 2.

Two excellent draws by Malcolm Noble set up the eighth end nicely for Peter. Laying 2 against, Rabbie’s first draw to the back 8 cut it to 1, before Peter restored the two shot advantage, wicking in off a corner stone. This secured the win when Rabbie’s final draw to the 4 foot stayed wide.

Howie Cup – Match Day 3

It was a strange sight to see all four games finish before the bell, with the teams at the top of the scoreboards all winning.

Gavin Reid 9 – 3 Peter Barrett

Against Gavin’s full strength team, the last thing Peter could afford was to lose a 5 in the second end. From then on it was case of playing catch-up and while each subsequent end was close, too many errors made this impossible.

David Reid 20 – 2 Robert Wilson

“The biggest defeat I’ve had since 1984, I remember it well” was the quote heard from Tommy Wilson after this game. I think that says enough!

Douglas Reid 12 – 2 Tom Reid

Dougie continued his good start to the season with a third straight win, scoring 2’s in the first three ends. Tom managed to get on the board with a single in the 4th and another in the seventh. Opting to play an eighth end proved costly to Tom’s shot difference as Dougie took another 3 shots.

Hugh Reid 8 – 2 Jim Kirkwood

As on the neighbouring sheet, Hugh started well by taking the first three ends, before Jim got on the board with two singles. Giving up another two 2’s, Jim decided he too was better off in the comfort of the bar and shook hands.

 

Inter-Club v Dunlop

The annual inter-club match against Dunlop Curling Club was played on Wednesday 16th January.

Despite half of his team being unable to play, Dougie Reid pulled together a scratch team from the reserve list. Taking on the now familiar Dunlop rink, Dougie’s team played well together and were 11-1 up after 5 ends. At this point the Dunlop skip wanted to call it a day but was persuaded to play another where they scored a 2 before calling it a day.

Stewarton Heather 11 – 3 Dunlop

 

Howie Cup – Match Day 2

The second round of games in the Wm. Howie Cup ended in two big wins and two tight results.

Hugh Reid 9 – 3 Tom Reid

Hugh got back on the winning trail in this battle of the older generation Reid brothers. Having given up a four in the second Tom’s front end were having an off day. Throughout the game Tom was often playing to get out of trouble, giving up five singles in the process.  In response, Tom only managed to score in the first and sixth ends.

Douglas Reid 9 – 7 Peter Barrett

With the pick of the nights subs playing at lead and second, Dougie kept building big ends. Continually trying to keep the score down, Peter managed to get to peels after four ends at three each. In the fifth, Dougie finally managed to build a head and lay four. His draw for a fifth shot was heavy and a big relief to Peter. In the eighth, an errant takeout by Dougie allowed Peter to square the game at seven each. In the ninth, lying one down Peter’s last draw came up short leaving Dougie to draw for two and game.

Jim Kirkwood 6 – 5 David Mundell

Big Davy took a slim advantage with a steal in the second, but this game was close throughout. With singles being the score of choice, Jim levelled the game with the first two in the seventh. One down in the ninth, lying second shot, Jim had a hit and stick to win the game. Having removed the target Jim’s stone headed for the edge of the rings, just clinging on to score two and take the win.

Craig Reid 11 – 3 James Whiteford

With Jimuk heading off to France for a weeks skiing, Alan Mitchell was left to take on Craig Reid. Opening up a four shot lead after three ends, Craig allowed Alan to come back with a three in the fourth. Unfortunately for Alan, that was to be his one and only score of the evening, with Craig adding seven shots in the last four ends.

Ayrshire Province Medal

The annual Province Medal was played at Ayr Ice Rink on Tuesday evening. The competition winners are the club with the highest combined scores over the two games against different clubs.

Stewarton Heather 7 – 9 Symington

In the first session David Reid, David Mackenzie, Jim Kirkwood and Robert Whiteford took on Symington. In the last end with one Symington stone to play, Stewarton Heather were lying shot, well guarded, thinking they had done enough to win the game. Unfortunately, Symington had other ideas and played a double runback takeout to win the gam by two shots.

Stewarton Heather 5 – 3 Ayr Country Club

In the second session, David Mundell, James Whiteford, Peter Barrett and Billy Jackson took on Ayr Country Club. Starting with three steals, (1, 2 & 1), big Davy thought that giving up a one in the fourth was ok. Plans to build a big end in the fifth, did not go to plan nor did it happen in the sixth. Instead, the Country Club stole singles in each end. A single in the seventh gave Stewarton Heather a two shot win and an overall shots up score of 0.

Overall Result

Dundonald Curling Club won the Province Medal with a score of +17. Stewarton Heather finished seventh overall.

Howie Cup – Match Day 1

The second half of the 2018-19 season got underway with 10 teams playing the first round of the Wm. Howie Cup.

Douglas Reid 8 – 6 Jim Kirkwood

Having played together in the Cuthbertson league, the President and Vice have switched places for the Howie league. With Jim playing at skip, this was a close game against big Dougie but the game just got away at the end. The game was won with a steal of 2 in the 3rd and a 3 in the 7th for Dougie. Otherwise, it was a case of tit-for-tat 1s and 2s.

David Mundell 10 – 6 Craig Reid

Having lost a 2 in the 1st, David blanked the 2nd in the hope of scoring better in the 3rd. A 6 was better that he could have hoped and following it with a steal of 2, David had a big lead to defend. Despite winning the next 3 ends, Craig was restricted to low scores and shook hands after 8 ends.

James Whiteford 6 – 4 Hugh Reid

It took a few ends for debutant skip James to find his feet, with Hugh opening with 3 singles. The game then changed with James taking the next 4 ends to lead 6-3 going into the 8th. Was this a case of too much festivities for Hugh, or the curse of Colin?

Tom Reid 7 – David Reid 9

A really close game between father and son saw these two tied 7 a piece after 7 ends. In the 8th, Tom drew a freeze to the back to lie shot by a whisker, leaving David with a choice for his last shot. Opting for the takeout, David managed to move Tom’s stone just enough to take a single and lead into the 9th where he stole another single.

Robert Wilson 3 – 7 Gavin Reid

With a really strong line up Gavin opened his account with a win against Rabbie, who was handicapped by being a player short. Due to an error by the secretary, the replacement for Rabbie’s team thought he was not required. This has now been resolved for the remaining games.

Cuthbertson Cup – Match Day 13

Promotion, relegation, pride, or nothing to play for, there was something of everything in tonight’s final round.

D Reid 6 – 3 S Smith

With big Dougie busy in Forfar qualifying for the Scottish Seniors, Mark Guthrie led the team to their 3rd win. The nail in Stuart Smith’s promotion hopes was the loss of 3 in the sixth to trail by 4. Managing a single in the seventh, Stuart was run out of stones in the last and finishes in 5th place. While already relegated, the win moves Dougie’s team up to 9th place overall.

T Wilson 3 – 11 J Craig

With relegation assured for the loser, Tommy started well with a 2, only for President Jim Kirkwood to reply with a 3 at the second. Jim then stole singles in the third and fourth, before Tommy scored in the sixth. In the eighth, with three stones to play, Jim lay two stones frozen on the T and a third in line, back 12. Tommy’s take-out attempt sailed straight past leaving Jim to guard with a fourth counter, top 12. In trying to draw the button with his last, Tommy’s shot was through the back of the house. The win moves John Craig’s rink up to 7th, while Tommy slipped to 10th.

J Young 2 – 11 H Reid

In the big top v bottom clash, it was going to be a hard job for Jim Young to do a “Southampton” against the unbeaten Hugh Reid. Big ends for Hugh in the second, fourth and fifth sealed Jim’s rinks fate and they finished in last place. For Hugh it confirmed his achievement of being unbeaten in the Cuthbertson league for two seasons running.

T Reid 16 – 2 L Montgomerie

This match between Lorna “I’m safe” Montgomerie and Tom “I need a good win” Reid, was only going to end one way. The first six ends had a familiar pattern with Tom taking 2, stealing 4, give 1, repeat. A four to Tom in the seventh moves him to 4th overall and rounded off a miserable league campaign for Lorna who finished 8th. Despite avoiding relegation, Lorna wants to return to playing at 3rd next year.

P Barrett 2 – 6 D Mundell

Peter Barrett’s slim hope of grabbing the final promotion spot were soon dashed by David Mundell. Taking a 2 in the first and followed by three steals, David was taking on and making the big shots that mattered. Peter got on the scoresheet with singles in the fifth and sixth. Finishing after the seventh, David took the final promotion slot while Peter finished 6th.

Next up

Howie League Match Day 1 – January 6th 2019 @ 17:30 – Rinks 1 – 10.

Cuthbertson – Match Day 12

In three of tonights four games, it really was a case of “a game of two halves.”

H Reid 8 – 6 T Wilson

It took until the last stone in the ninth end for Hugh Reid to get the fat lady singing, but singing she is. Having won the first four ends, everything was going to plan with Hugh beating Tommy Wilson 6-1 after six ends. The seventh started with some short guards which Tommy got around to put the pressure on. Unable to clear the front, it only got worse for Hugh as Tommy took a four. Tommy then stole a single in the eighth to tie the game 6-6. In the ninth, again a big head built up with Tommy lying 2, leaving Hugh to pick his way through the guards. Hugh’s final shot came down with enough weight to shift both of Tommy’s stones to win by 2. Only bottom of the table Jim Young can now prevent Hugh Reid going unbeaten for the second season running.

T Reid 8 – 10 D Mundell

With David Mundell scoring 3 in the 2nd, then stealing 2’s in the 3rd, 4th and 5th ends, this game looked destined for an early end. Restricted to a single in the 6th, Tom Reid trailed 9-2, but then, like the game next door, it all changed. In the seventh, Tom stole a 4 to put the brakes on Dave’s runaway train but it was all a bit too late. Despite another 2 in the ninth, Dave took the advantage in the race for the 3rd promotion place.

P Barrett 9 – 6 J Craig

Still not safe from relegation, vice-president John Craig handed responsibility to president Jim Kirkwood to try and get a much needed win. All was going well and after winning four of the first five ends, Jim was leading Peter Barrett 6-2. On tricky ice, Peter’s young rink were struggling to match the shots of Jim’s more mature rink. Another 4 was to change the game, only this time Peter got it in the 6th end to tie the game. Getting two early stones round the guards was the key to Peter stealing 2 in the seventh. The eighth followed a similar pattern with Jim trying to clear guards to no avail.

M Noble 6 – 10 S Smith

Playing his last game, Malcolm Noble needed a win against Stuart Smith to keep the pressure on Hugh Reid. Malcolm opened with a 3, which Stuart countered with a 2, then stole a single. After six ends the rinks were tied 6-6 with the turning point again coming in the seventh. This time it was Stuart who took a 3 and followed it with a single steal to move up to fourth place. Despite the loss, Malcolm’s rink have secured second place in the league behind Hugh Reid.

What’s Next

With Hugh Reid and Malcolm Noble securing first and second, there are four rinks chasing the final promotion slot. David Mundell’s win over Tom Reid puts him in pole position, but with an inferior shots difference, must beat Peter Barrett. If Mundell falters, Stuart Smith would move into third with a win over already relegated Douglas Reid. If Smith loses, then Peter Barrett or Tom Reid could claim the final spot. With Barrett having a two shot advantage over Reid, it could be an interesting contest.

At the bottom of the table, with John Craig playing Tommy Wilson, Jim Young and Douglas Reid are already relegated barring exceptional results. A peeled game between Craig and Wilson would relegate Craig. It would also leave Reid needing a 12 shot win over Stuart Smith to escape and relegate Wilson as well. A more likely result will be that the loser of the Craig – Wilson game is relegated.

Cuthbertson – Match Day 11

After tonights games, the fat lady is not quite singing, but she may be next week.

M Noble 10 – L Montgomerie 3

Malcolm Noble kept up his title hopes with a convincing whitewashing of Lorna Montgomerie’s team. Sitting out the final night, Noble’s rink is at least assured of promotion and must win his last game to keep the title race open. Also with only one game left, Lorna still has it in her own hands to avoid relegation.

H Reid 6 – 4 S Smith

With his eighth straight win, Hugh Reid has all but sown up the league title with two games to spare. 2 points and 5 shots clear with a game in hand, this should be a formality for the untouchables. Already safe from relegation, Stuart Smith could still steal the last promotion slot if other results go his way.

D Reid v T Wilson

Fortunately for Tommy Wilson, he decided to take a night off in London and leave it to third Simon Grant, to secure the rinks second win. Arriving back fresh from a weekend playing in the Scottish Seniors qualifiers, Douglas Reid put up a good fight. Grant thought he had won with a single in the eighth before he realised the bell had not gone. With lots of stones in play in the ninth, an angled raise by Grant with his last shot left Reid with a difficult double take-out to win. With the final shot wrecking on the guards, Wilson steps back out of the relegation zone, leaving Reid looking for favours next week.

J Young 3 – 10 P Barrett

Contrary to the final scoreline, this was a closely fought contest with Peter Barrett’s rink often having to clear a way in. A sixth defeat in a row leaves Jim Young’s rink firmly at the foot of the table. Sitting out match day 12, they could be relegated before their last game against the untouchable Hugh Reid. Safe from relegation, Barrett still has an outside chance of promotion.

What’s Next

Hugh Reid will secure the title by taking a point from Tommy Wilson or, if Malcolm Noble fails to beat Stuart Smith. With Tom Reid and David Mundell playing each other, only one can catch Noble for 2nd. Both Smith and Barrett still have a chance of getting the final promotion spot if results go their way.

Bottom two, Jim Young and Douglas Reid sit out match day 12 as does seventh placed Lorna Montgomerie. They will all be hoping that both John Craig and Tommy Wilson lose their games against Barrett and Hugh Reid.