Kinross Hogmanay Pairs
Kinross Curling Rink, 18th December 2011
H | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Total | DSC | ||
Michael Nicholson & Ted Edmunds | * | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | x | 2 | Win | |
Jane Barr & Alice Thomson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | x | 2 |
Michael Nicholson and Ted Edmunds were somewhat fortunate to emerge victorious from this tense struggle, as a low-scoring draw saw the Edinburgh pair advancing only after a draw shot challenge.
In the first, Thomson flooded the house without much reply, lying three before Nicholson drew the four-foot to take the advantage. A beautiful draw in behind the Edinburgh stone left the Kinross women lying again, and Edmunds was unable to get close, wrecking on his own guard as his partner failed to watch the shot’s line. Barr was unable to add a second, though, allowing Edmunds a risky hit to take a single; however, his shot started to drift wide and was well swept to prevent it hitting the Edinburgh second shot and giving up four.
The Edinburgh pair came back fighting in the second, dominating the early exchanges to lie first, third and fourth, before a nice freeze from Barr saw her team sitting shot in the back of the four-foot. Edmunds wrecked on a guard, clearing out the middle of the sheet and allowing Barr to draw another to the front of the four-foot. Edmunds atoned with a top-quality shot, sneaking his last stone onto the button between the opposition stones to take his single.
The exchange of singles continued in the next end, largely thanks to the continuation of the drawing game from both teams. The ladies found themselves lying shot, but with three Edinburgh stone lying next. A nice takeout upped their advantage to two, before a beautiful shot by Edmunds saw him remove the two opposition counters in the four foot. Barr drew the four-foot again to lie one, and a missed Edmunds strike looked to have gifted her pair the two, but the final draw came up well short.
Despite having the hammer, Edinburgh were on the back-foot for much of the fourth end. A great draw to the button behind good cover was followed down by Thomson (thanks to a fortuitously big swing) to nudge it back, the shooter remaining on the pot-lid. With a flooded house, and a number of guards just in front, Edmunds had few options come the hammer. With the bell having gone, a make-or-break shot was called- a difficult wick in off an opposition stone on the edge of the eight-foot. The shot was played to perfection, catching the rock precisely to roll into the stone on the button and nudge it back slightly. Without enough room for a measure Barr and Thomson agreed that Edmunds’ shot was just closer, forcing a draw shot challenge for the game.
The Edinburgh team took the match, and qualification for the next stage, when Barr’s draw came up well short of the house. Edmunds, needing only to bite the painted area, found the eight-foot to set up a derby fixture against David Jenkins and Alistair Wallace, also of the Edinburgh University club, in the first knockout stage.
Michael Nicholson