On the 25^th February 2015 EUCC partook in the third SSS league day in Perth.

The team representing the University consisted of Callum McLean at skip, Jayne Stirling playing third, Sarah Sloan playing second stones and Jakub Polak throwing lead stones.

The first game of the day was against Robert Gordon University.

Winning the toss, we went in to the game with last stone advantage. The 1^st end was kept reasonably clear, allowing McLean to draw for a 1. In the 2^nd end RGU were left with a straight nose hit to win back a 1. End three saw EUCC losing a 3 after a superb double take-out by the opposing skip. Unfortunately, a couple of unlucky shots on our part allowed RGU to steal a 1 in the 4^th end. However, a  lovely double from Sloan and a great draw behind a guddle of guards by Stirling set us up well in the 5^th, allowing McLean an open draw for a 2. Unfortunately, ends 6 and 7 didn’t go our way despite some great guards set up by Polak. RGU managed to steal a one in both ends, meaning the match finished 7-3 to RGU.

The second game of the day was against Strathclyde 1.

For spectators, this game may have been appeared quite bland – but for the players it was an excitingly close game. The game took a very defensive approach, a high percentage of stones being take-outs. Winning the toss again, we retained the hammer. An open house allowed McLean to draw for a one in the 1^st end. Strathclyde then followed our lead in the 2^nd end, scoring 1. Ends 3 and 4 were played in a similar way – EUCC having an open nose hit for a 1 in the 3^rd, and Strathcylde drawing for their 1 in the 4^th end. End 5 saw a double take-out from Polak and a great double run back from Stirling, finishing with a 4 ft draw by McLean for 1. In end 6, Sloan was very successful with both of her draws to the house. However, team Strathclyde managed a lovely strike through a portal to win back a 1. This meant that going in to the final end the scores were tied, EUCC having last stone advantage. A couple of slack shots from the opposing team allowed us to split the house in the 7^th end, leaving McLean to conclude the game with a draw for a 3. Final score 6-3 to Edinburgh University.

Callum McLean

On the 19th of October 2014 The EUCC would make their second venture to Perth this year to take on the other University teams.

The team representing the University would be McLean at skip, McQuistin playing third, Fyfe playing second and Sloan throwing first stones. They were hoping to build on the success of the first trip to Perth that the team had made but as they were playing the two teams that were at the top of the table they knew it would be a challenge.

The first match was against Strathclyde 2.

Though the team didn’t play a bad game they were just not able to preform to the standard presented by Strathclyde 2. The team stared in disbelief as pretty much every shot made by the skip of the opposing team would be made no matter the difficulty. This left the final score at 11-2 to Strathclyde 2.

The second match was against Glasgow 2.

Again the team would play a good game of curling but they were once again up against a team that were on top form. Again they were left with a scoreline that they weren’t overly happy with but Glasgow 2 most rightly deserved for playing such a good match. The game ended 9-1 to Glasgow 2.

Overall it wasn’t the trip to Perth that the team had hoped for but one that was somewhat expected as they were playing two very tough teams.

Gavin McQuistin.

On the 29th of  October 2014 The University team would make their first venture up to Perth to face off against the other Universities in the first round of the Scottish Universities Curling competition.

The team of McLean at skip, Striling at Vice, Polák playing second and Fyfe throwing first stones would represent the University.

The first match was to be against Aberdeen 1, a team that the university side have had close fought matches with in most outings.

This time the Aberdeen would have the better of the University side in a match that would end 6-5 to Aberdeen. Though it wasn’t the start the university teams had hoped for they were happy to have such a good match-up and good curling against a very talented opposing team.

The Second match would be against Glasgow 1.

By this time the University team had got to grips with the ice, which tends to run a lot faster than Murrayfield, and they were feeling confident for their match against Glasgow 1. This confidence obviously shone through in a match that would finish 16-3 to EUCC.

It’s always good to get a win on the board at SSS and hopefully the team can carry onto future weeks.

With so many new curlers at the club you can expect to see the line-up changing over the year and potentially two teams travelling to SSS in future years.

Gavin McQuistin.

Scottish Student Sport League

Dewars Centre, Perth, 21st November 2012

Edinburgh University came into this game knowing that they would need to start much better and play much more consistently if they were going to improve on their performances in their previous SSS games in October.

Edinburgh certainly started much brighter than last time with McQuistin making a very impressive take out, despite finding the ice having more grip than last time, to allow Edinburgh to steal a one.

However Edinburgh quickly realised they were in a game with Strathclyde 2 bouncing back and taking four points in the next two ends despite Stirling drawing well.

Quick to bounce back, Stockton played his first stone into the house however with Strathclyde missing the take out, Stockton was able to produce a lovely guard which protected his original stone until the end where it was joined by an excellent takeout by McGaan to bring Edinburgh right back into the match.

Edinburgh then levelled the match in the fifth end with some excellent skipping from McGaan, allowing Edinburgh to protect one of Stirling’s consistently excellent draws with a ‘guddle’ of stones at the front of the house. However they were not able to carry this momentum forward with Strathclyde 2 changing to a much more open hitting game.

Edinburgh, however, continued to believe in themselves with McGaan reverting back to a guddling tactic, with McQuistin protecting Stockton and Stirling’s stones. Despite this, a very lucky tap-up by Strathclyde 2 restricted Edinburgh to a 1. This knocked Edinburgh’s confidence, which Strathclyde ultimately took advantage of.

This was certainly the closest SSS league game in recent memory for Edinburgh University and was proof that this team are continuing to gel and improve. It surely won’t be long until this team gets the results they deserve.

 Fraser Stockton

Scottish Student Sport League
Dewars Centre, Perth, 30th November 2011

Edinburgh University once again found themselves up against opposition from Clydeside in this Scottish Student Sport league fixture, mere minutes after succumbing to a Strathclyde 1 onslaught. The team remained unchanged from the Strathclyde game, with Andrew Grieve, Dionne Clark, David Jenkins and Fraser Stockton taking to the ice against Glasgow 1, hoping to avenge their defeat at Glasgow 2s hands earlier in the season.

The first end opened very defensively, some lovely guards and draws to the front of the house being played by both leads. Some tit-for-tat takeout play followed, until Clark stepped up for her second shot and played a delightful hit and roll behind a guard to lie shot. Glasgows skip couldnt get close to it but, faced with a draw for two, Grieve missed and took just a single. An uneventful second end saw parity restored as Glasgow collected a point of their own.

Stocktons first shot in the third was hogged, allowing Glasgows lead to put both of his into the house, but atonement for the Edinburgh lead came with a lovely double takeout to clear things out. Another tense end of guards and draws followed, with Glasgow reaping the benefits as Grieve under-threw his first draw before seeing his second wreck on a guard

After conceding two, Edinburgh bounced back to take three ends in a row, all single points. A more aggressive fourth end saw them lying shot after a good takeout by Jenkins. A slew of hitting ensued, leaving Grieve with a simple draw in for one with his last. Glasgow spurned an opportunity to take five in the fifth end, their skips takeout missing Grieves not particularly well-guarded shot stone, while in the sixth, another beautiful hit and roll behind a guard from Clark proved beyond the Glaswegians to remove.

Edinburgh couldnt keep up the momentum in the last two ends, though, their front ends struggle to find draw weight leaving the back end with few options. A risky tap up in the penultimate end didnt come off for Grieve and an important three points were lost, undoing the good work of the previous three ends. Edinburgh found themselves lying two in the last end, with just one stone each left to play. Glasgow attempted a takeout but instead hit their own guard, which- to the incredulity of Grieve and his rink- was pushed into the shot position. Grieve missed a takeout on that stone, which would have handed his team three points and the match, and yielded a single point.

This game will certainly be viewed by Edinburgh as a missed opportunity; the result could easily have gone the other way, had the team not tailed off in the last two ends. Edinburgh continue to linger at the bottom of the SSS league table at the mid-point of the competition, and remain the only team not to have won a single league point. With two months to go until the next league fixture, Edinburgh now have the time to regroup and analyse what needs to be done to halt their terrible run of form.

Michael Nicholson

Scottish Student Sport League
Dewars Centre, Perth, 30th November 2011

* Denotes hammer

Edinburgh Universitys trips to Perth for the Scottish Student Sport league have not proven particularly fruitful of late, it being over a year since they recorded a win in the competition (with even that victory requiring penalty points to be awarded against their opposition). In stark contrast, Stathclyde University have been an almost indomitable force, taking the league championship last year and beginning this with impressive results against Robert Gordon and Glasgow Universities- their only loss so far coming at the hands of their own second team. In short, Edinburgh entered this game as marked underdogs, knowing that they needed a strong performance to upset the apple cart.

The team had to be rearranged once again, as Katie McGaan withdrew from the squad; Andrew Grieve moved up to skip, and Dionne Clark to third. As in the last game (where Clark had been absent) David Jenkins played second and Fraser Stockton came in at lead.

A strong start from Edinburgh in the first end saw them lying directly on the button, frozen onto a couple of stones, with more frozen onto their own. Strathclydes skip, with no obvious shot to play, tapped up their own guard with some force to send the cluster of rocks flying. When the stones had come to rest, it was Strathclyde who were lying shot, and they- somewhat fortuitously- took a single. Another point followed in the next end, when Grieves draw into the house came up short.

Into the third, Grieve faced a blockade of guards and beyond that only a secondary phalanx of opposition stones in the front of the house. With no other options, a peel weight was optimistically called, with no real strategy other than to punch through. Grieves positivity wasnt entirely without foundation, as he limited Strathclyde to another single when many more points could have been surrendered.

In the fourth, Edinburgh were sitting with two when Clark stepped up to play her second shot. The sweepers went down on it too quickly and allowed it to clip a Strathclyde guard, which promptly made its way straight to the button. Grieve was powerless to remove it and another Strathclyde chalked up a further two points. Strathclyde added another point in the fifth, when some lovely guards protected their lying shot, and still another point followed in the sixth when Grieve missed his final draw before the bell brought an end to proceedings.

On paper, this result seems a humiliation for the students from the Capital, but with due respect to Strathclyde- who deserved their win- the game was much closer than the scoreline suggests. Edinburgh simply found themselves up against superior opponents, and deserve credit for mitigating the result in the way they did, never conceding more than two in any end. Strathclyde must surely be regarded as the front-runners to retain the league they won last year; for Edinburgh, the search for a win against university opposition continues.

Michael Nicholson

Scottish Student Sport League
Dewars Centre, Perth, 16th November 2011

Following on from a respectably narrow defeat to Dundee University in their maiden SSS League game of the season, Edinburgh University travelled to Perth to take on Glasgow 2, who had yet to play so far. The team that went north was slightly different to the team that played Dundee, with illness forcing Dionne Clark out, with Fraser Stockton coming in to play lead and David Jenkins moving up to second. Edinburgh also decided to have Katie McGaan continue to skip, but with Andrew Grieve throwing final stones.

Both teams started off shakily and after a very tight end, Glasgow stole the first point of the match. It was just as tight in the second end, with Stockton playing a lovely guard, unfortunately, followed up with an over-heavy draw which finished in the back of the house. Glasgow froze on to it and Jenkins followed them down with a freeze of his own, albeit unintentionally. With several stones lying at the back of the house Glasgow drew in to lie two which were well enough protected by Stocktons initial guard to prevent Edinburgh doing anything with them.

Down by three, Edinburgh suffered a slow start in the third end and Glasgows dominant striking left them lying three. However after a good take out by Grieve, Edinburgh were finally able to use their last stone advantage, although only to the extent of taking a solitary point. Edinburgh were unable to carry any momentum from their point, and conceded a single of their own in the fourth.

Despite having the hammer back Edinburgh struggled. After some good stones by both front ends Edinburgh were left lying two. However, a mistake by Grieve with his first stone wiped out that advantage and he was unable to use his last stone to rectify things, forfeiting another two points.

Edinburgh pulled one back in the sixth, but found themselves facing four in the seventh (and final) end. Grieve was forced to draw with his last show and hope for a mistake from the Glasgow skip; the error duly came, the last shot gliding narrowly past Grieves lying target, and Edinburgh reduced the deficit to three.

Edinburgh can feel disappointed at the way they played in this game, despite this being one of the closest results the team has had for some time in the SSS league. The main positive to take from the game is that they played poorly, but secured a very respectable scoreline. Not much more is needed for this team to get back to winning ways.

Fraser Stockton

Scottish Student Sport League
Dewars Centre, Perth, 26th October 2011

*Denotes hammer.

Edinburgh University has struggled in recent years when competing against other universities. After winning both the Scottish Universities League and Universities Open in 2007, the club has been in something of a terminal decline, winning only twice in the last sixteen games- both of those wins arising due to penalty points. Armed with this knowledge, the club ran trials early in the semester for this years team, a marked change from the more informal selection policies of the past.

Andrew Grieve, last years first choice skip, was returned to the team but has dropped down to third. Replacing him in the head is Katie McGaan, an experienced club curler playing her first full season after a serious knee injury. Club stalwart David Jenkins- normally a back end player- was selected to throw lead stones, while Dionne Clarke, a first year student and high level performer with Maggie Wilsons rink was drafted in at second. Fraser Stockton will serve as the first choice alternate, with club President Alison McAteer the next in line.

The first opposition for the newly assembled rink, Dundee University, have themselves suffered a decline (though not as pronounced as Edinburghs). From dominating the competitions in the 2010 2011 season (with a team boasting current Scottish Mixed champion Scott MacLeod) the Tayside team slipped to fourth in the league last year, winning just four of their matches. Both teams therefore had something to prove in this game.

Edinburgh started brightly, stealing one point in the first end as their opponents took time to settle in. A quick response followed though, Dundee gaining two with their last stone advantage in the second and quickly gaining momentum, adding a further single in the third. Edinburgh hit back with a single of their own in the fourth, but lost another double immediately afterwards.

Into the sixth, Edinburgh found themselves lying shot with only the Dundee skip to play. A takeout attempt missed and removed his own second shot, gifting two to Edinburgh. A great comeback seemed well and truly on the cards in the seventh and final end, with McGaan playing an aggressive game, culminating in her team lying four. This time, though, the Dundee skips shot was perfect, tapping up one of his own stones (after deciding against a tricky hit) to take a single point.

That the game ended up being so close is testament to how far Edinburgh have come, and provided a glimpse into what this newly formed rink might be able to achieve further down the line. If they are able to stick together as a unit (and with one first, one second, one third and one fourth year, only minor changes will be needed in the next year or two) then there is every reason to be optimistic about Edinburgh Universitys future in the Scottish Student Sport competitions. Whether pushing on for more than mid-table respectability is a possibility will, though, remain to be seen.

Michael Nicholson