Kinross Hogmanay Pairs
Kinross Curling Rink, 18th December 2011
| H | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Total | ||
| David Jenkins & Alistair Wallace | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | x | 7 | ||
| Michael Nicholson & Ted Edmunds | * | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | x | 2 | |
The prospect of both Edinburgh University teams reaching the latter stages of the Kinross Hogmanay Pairs seemed unlikely at its outset, so a match between the two for a place in the quarter finals was a welcome surprise for all concerned. Alistair Wallace was one of the people who first taught Michael Nicholson and Ted Edmunds to curl- could the apprentices surpass the master, or would Wallace and his partner, David Jenkins, prevail?
With Wallace and Jenkins favourites from the outset, losing four with the hammer in the first end was an unwelcome start for Edmunds and Nicholson. A nice angled raise to the button from Edmunds was the highlight for that team, but their opponents removed that stone to lie four. An exchange of hits left Edmunds lying shot, before a Wallace hit restored the advantage. Faced with the same shot, Edmunds couldn’t get the weight right and fell short, ceding a big end.
An aggressive second end followed, with both teams throwing up a number of guards. Wallace penetrated the barrier, drawing the well-guarded button to lie shot, with only one opposition counter preventing him lying five. Edmunds’ hit on the shot stone sailed just wide, but Wallace removed that stone himself, somewhat fortunately rolling his shooter just outside the four-foot. Edmunds hit the mark this time, sticking around to take a single point.
Horrible ice conditions encouraged a striking game in the third, though Jenkins built up a wall of guards just in front of the twelve-foot. A nice angled raise from Wallace handed him the advantage, which he built on with another two stones in the house. Edmunds removed one of those but left the shooter exposed on the edge of the eight-foot to allow a hit for three, which Wallace successfully completed.
Edmunds secured a second point in the fourth and final end, hitting against three to remove Wallace’s shot stone, using the second shot as a bumper for the shooter.
Wallace and Jenkins progressed to the quarter finals, while Nicholson and Edmunds were eliminated. Progressing this far, though, was well beyond expectations for the duo in their first ever outing in the Pairs format and there can be some optimism of future success.
Michael Nicholson