Linlithgow League
Murrayfield Curling, 2nd December 2012
| H | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Total | ||
| Edinburgh University | * | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | |
| Penicuik | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | – | 16 | ||
N.B. – scorecard approximate
Having played the Slovenian youth team the previous day, Edinburgh University were in high spirits and ready for a challenging match against Penicuik. There were a few changes to the team from the day before, with Stockton stepping up to skip and Williams and Wheeldon taking third and second respectively. They were joined by Piggott, who made a confident debut in the Linlithgow League.
Piggott started the match with some nicely placed guards, which Wheeldon successfully drew behind. However, Penicuik, being the vastly more experienced team that they are, managed to draw behind Wheeldon’s stone to sit one. From then on it was a similar story throughout the match, with Piggott making well-played shots, but Penicuik preventing the team from scoring.
The third end turned into a hitting game, with Wheeldon and Williams both making well-judged take-outs. Despite this, Penicuik managed to score three, all the while increasing the gap between them and the university team.
The chance came for Stockton to get Edinburgh University onto the scoreboard with a narrow tap-up in the fourth end; it would leave the team taking only one point, but that point was better than none at all. Stockton delivered the stone just a little too lightly, so all four members of the team leapt to its aid and swept it across the hog line and closer and closer to the house. Such was the focus on this stone that Williams tripped over one of Penicuik’s many stones, scattering them in all directions. With a little luck, and plenty of good grace from the opposition, the University stone continued to its target to win the end for the students.
Sadly the team could not muster enough skill to overcome Penicuik, taking a loss of 16-1 at the bell. Despite the final score, Edinburgh University can be confident in one of their newest players, having seen Piggott making an impressive debut against a well-established team; and confidence can also come from the thought that lightning hardly ever strikes the same place twice: will the students suffer such a heavy defeat again? Time will tell.
Rory Williams