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Ross-shire curlers line up for President's Cup clashes


By Robin Wilson

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That winning feeling: Brenda Macintyre, Davie MacLennan, Scott Fraser, skip Peter Macintyre and Ross Province president Iain Mackay.
That winning feeling: Brenda Macintyre, Davie MacLennan, Scott Fraser, skip Peter Macintyre and Ross Province president Iain Mackay.

IT was a hectic week for Ross curlers in the Inverness Ice Rink beginning on Monday night with first round ties of the President’s Cup.

Wins for David Gilchrist (Caberfeidh) Ian Mackay (President) Iain Fraser (Belmaduthy), Nigel Murray (Invergordon), Ross Urquhart (Muir of Ord), Richard MacKenzie (Locheye/Invergordon), and Paul Moodie (Avoch) saw seven first round skips progress to the quarter-finals. The eighth first round tie between Alness and Muir of Ord (2) remains outstanding but will have to be played by Monday, February 23, the date set for the quarter-finals. The holder, Ian Fraser (Belmaduthy) safely progressed against Brian Fraser (Strathpeffer) while the President’s Select (Iain Mackay) rink was made up of his wife Maureen Mackay, Nigel Murray (Rogart) and Stuart Gardiner (Dornoch).

In a crunch rearranged 8th round A League tie, Richard MacKenzie and his Invergordon/Locheye rink inflicted a punishing defeat on Caberfeidh’s Charlie Munro. Now holding a five-point lead, Belmaduthy’s Iain Fraser, can enjoy an early crowning as champion for yet another season.

Munro went into his win-at-all-cost round eight tie against Mackenzie without his regular number three, Alistair Macintyre. This resulted in Miles Mack moving up to third stones and Karen Crawford brought in to complete the line alongside Erica Mack.

Richard MacKenzie (skip),Tony Watson, Andrew Deeth and Heather Macrae, took their usual places in a rink chasing the two points that would bring them level with Munro. The Invergordon/Locheye rink won the opening three ends before doubles were exchanged to give Mackenzie a 6-2 after end five. Still striving for a point but trailing by three going into the final end, Munro lost a final three shots to go under 9-3 and see his championship hopes ended.

In B League, Bill Shiran (Caberfeidh) moved a point above leader and club mate Angus Christie after a close fight against another rink of Tain curlers representing Invergordon, who were skipped by Douglas Gordon.

Bill and Lorna Shirran were supported by Joanna MacDonald and Lynn Thomson and they were never behind in a game that they held on to win by a narrow 5-4 margin, which moved them into top place – one point ahead of Christie with two games remaining. The two skips will meet in the final round nine tie on March 16.

• Sixteen club teams arrived for the Ross-shire Bonspiel last Saturday and in her first game against Julian Hunter (Strathpeffer) the cup holder, Coreen MacRae (Alness), opened with a 10-6 win. She then had to take her unwell son Jamie back home to Alness and returned with her teenage daughter, Rachael, to take his place but feeling every bit as unwell as her brother. She only came onto the ice in the rinks second game to deliver her two lead stones then sat out the rest of the play in the warmth of the lounge. Left with only one curler to sweep, her mother lost the second game to Nigel Murray (Rogart), winner of the previous week’s Area 10 Bookless Cup bonspiel, and Murray’s big win, 13-4, over the disadvantaged Alness rink won him the second round consolation prize.

But winning both their games were the two Belmaduthy rinks and it was the province president, Iain MacKay (Caberfeidh), who had a say in the final outcome. Peter Macintyre left his third position in his uncle Iain Fraser’s rink to skip for a Belmaduthy second rink comprising of his mother Brenda, cousin Scott Fraser and Davie MacLennan. Replacing Macintyre in the Fraser rink was the champion’s wife Lynne to join her two sons, Jamie and Johnnie.

MacIntyre won his first game 9-5 over Ross Urquhart (Muir of Ord) and from his second round result increased his shots total to eleven with an 11-4 win over Neil Gillies (Killearnan). Meanwhile Iain Fraser had beaten Rogart’s Nigel Murray 7-2 in round one and was cruising to an overall win with a comfortable lead against province president MacKay.

Mackay brought with him Invergordon’s former champion skip Allan MacLennan for a rare but welcome return to competitive curling. Because of a back problem, MacLennan is now using a stick delivery aid. His two stones went into the house, where his experience prevented a whitewashing result by Fraser. The MacKay rink stirred themselves into action and won three of the remaining ends to bring the score back to 8-4 for the Fraser family. With just plus-four shots to add to their existing five the Fraser’s rink came up two shots short and settled for second place.

The inter province competition for the Bison Trophy was won again by Sutherland Province.

Lynne Fraser, Brenda Macintyre and Coreen MacRae had tuned up for the bonspiel after taking part in the Yara Farmers two day Bonspiel at the Perth Ice Rink earlier in the week. The completed their rink with Perth friend Vilma Kirk and they brought home the prize for the best “all female” rink.


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