Kinross Hogmanay Pairs (Game 6)

Kinross Hogmanay Pairs
Kinross Curling Rink, 17th December 2011


H 1 2 3 4 5 Total
David Jenkins & Alistair Wallace * 1 2 0 0 x 3
Stuart Brand & Gregor Bousie 0 0 1 1 x 2

Alistair Wallace and David Jenkins survived a late comeback from Stuart Brand and Gregor Bousie to progress to the second day of the Kinross Hogmanay Pairs and the final B-road stage.

The Edinburgh University pair was fortunate to take one with the hammer in the first end.  Wallace’s double takeout attempt with his third stone took just one of the two Brand stones lying shot in the front twelve-foot.  Brand threw another up, this time deep into the back of the twelve-foot.  Unable to take both out, Wallace opted for a hit on the front stone, his shooter rolling but just holding on to beat Brand’s other.

Some poor play from Brand in the second gifted the students an easy steal of two.  Sitting one after four shots apiece, Wallace split the house, only to see his stone removed.  Wallace’s next shot was too light, offering Brand a chance to remove the other Edinburgh rock; instead he removed his own, but stuck to lie shot.  The two players traded ineffective shots, before Wallace nudged one of his own stones and split to lie two.  Brand came up well short with his takeout, yielding the double.

Brand made better use of the hammer in the third, after some somewhat uninspired play from both teams.  Bousie’s first shot was a draw behind Jenkins’ centre guard, and paved the way for a succession of takeouts.  Brand’s penultimate shot was the first to miss, grazing Wallace’s stone but failing to remove it.  Rather than splitting the house, Wallace elected to guard his position, allowing his counterpart to draw the four-foot for his single.

Brand looked to have the advantage in the fourth end, as he flooded the houses with stones.  Wallace, with his third, attempted to peel the opposition guards but succeeded only in tapping an opposition stone in for Brand to sit two.  Brand drew a further shot into the four foot to sit three and, with the bell having gone, seemed to have taken the match.  Wallace, though played a draw which, though it swung wide, succeeded in limiting his opponents to just the one point and thereby did just enough to ensure progression.

Michael Nicholson