On the 22^nd February 2015 team Edinburgh University faced Carrington in another Linlithgow league match.

A team of Callum McLean, Eilidh Yates, Scott Cocker and Rowena Stevens faced Carrington this Sunday. The game started very positively – McLean played a great draw against 2 to score 1. Some successful take-outs kept the 2nd end clear, resulting in a blank end. With last stone advantage, EUCC had high hopes. However, a couple of slack shots presented Carrington’s skip with an opportunity to steal 5. A tough shot, but a fantastic take out through a port secured the opposition’s 5 in the 3^rd end. In the 4th end McLean made excellent use of a corner guard (placed there by Cocker) to take back a 2. Again, a few unfortunate shots allowed Carrington to take a 4 in the 5^th end. We came back fighting in the 6^th end – Stevens put up two perfect guards and Cocker and Yates demonstrated some great draws – followed by two good shots from McLean, gave us 3 in the 6^th. EUCC then forced Carrington to draw for 1 in the 7^th, before we played a strike against a 2 to score 1 in the last end. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough though as the final score was 10-7 to Carrington.

Callum McLean

On the 7^th December 2014 the University side would make its last outing in the Linlithgow League this semester.

A team that featured Yeats, Sloan, Steven and Keatinge were all keen to go out and get the university club its second win in the competition. And thanks to some great curling they were successful in their mission! with a final scoreline of 7-5 to the EUCC the team of four managed to give the club a nice high to end on leading up to exam time. Sadly everyone must now put their brushes down and pick up their pencils as the exam time looms.

Thanks to Steven who made her debut with the University in this match.

Gavin McQuistin.

On the 30^th November 2014 the University team would face off against Vets in the Linlithgow League.

The University would be represented by  Spain, Striling, Chiang and McLean.

Again the university would be fielding a very experienced team as all team members have been with the club for over a year at the least. Though they played a good game they weren’t able to beat the Vets. With a final score of EUCC 6 – 10 Vets.

Gavin McQuistin.

On the 2^nd of November 2014 the University team consisting of McCrossan, Chiang, Yeats and Johnston would face off against DAFS, the team that won the competition last year.

It what was described as an exciting match that saw both sides taking three points in at least two ends each. Sadly it wasn’t to be for the university team. However the team could be happy with such a close fought match against a tough opposition. Final Score: EUCC 6-8 DAFS.

Thanks very much to new club member Johnston for making his debut with the club.

Gavin McQuistin.

On the 26^th of October 2014 the University team would go up against Aegon in the Linlithgow League with a team consisting of Stirling, McLean, Yeats, and Polák.

In what would be a first of what I’m sure could be many close-run matches for the University team sadly ended in a loss. Unfortunately they would have had the hammer in the last end  but the bell had went during the seventh. The final scoreline was EUCC 4-6 DAFS.

We would like to thank Yeats and Polák who both made their debuts with the club during this match.

Gavin McQuistin.

On the 19^th of October 2014 Edinburgh Universities team consisting featuring Wallentin, Fyfe, McCrossan and McQuistin would face off against a talented Heriots FP side in what would be the first Linlithgow  match of the season.

Sadly their game was marred with tragedy as McQuistin’s broom head flipped upon sliding out causing him to miss his shot for one. His day didn’t improve much from there.

Sadly it wasn’t the debut that Wallentin had hoped for, yet the team put in very good individual performances sadly they just weren’t up to standard of play produced by Heriots FP that day. The final score at 11-1 to Heriots FP

Gavin McQuistin

The EdinburghUniversity team consisting of McQuistin playing Skip, Sloan playing third, Stockton playing second and Curry playing lead. This was Sloan and Curry’s debut match for the club.

The first end didn’t go well for the University team. They lost the coin toss and they were unable to break through into the house due to the amount of stones left in play by their opposition. DAFS steals four in the first end.

The University curlers keep their heads up in the second with Stockton playing a draw in behind the oppositions stones. The opposition manage to get a chip on the stone and both spin out of the house. Sloan makes a strike at the front of the house which allows McQuistin to promote one stone onto the button and then draw a second shot around the guards to sit at the centre of the hose. EU takes two.

The third end begins. Curry makes a strike and a draw. DAFS answers back by removing these stones and start to form another group of guards at the front of the house. After several strikes from Sloan, McQuistin is able to draw one in behind to the middle of the house and the opposition skip is unable to get anything on it. EU steals one.

Curry starts off the fourth by landing a stone at the back of the house. DAFS plays one of top of this and Stockton does the same. DAFS once again plays one on top of this. Sloan isn’t given appropriate ice for her draw to do the same allowing DAFS to place a guard. Protecting the shot. McQuistin manages to use Sloan’s draw to displace the DAFS shot. An error from the DAFS skip allows EU to steal another two.

The fifth begins and most stones are once again in play. A “Guddle” forms at the front of the house and getting stones through becomes difficult. Sloan however manages to hit and roll behind cover. DAFS manage to get a chip on the stone yet they only manage to push it further behind cover. McQuistin’s attempts at placing guard fail to curl into the centre where wanted, allowing the DAFS skip to promote a stone. DAFS takes one.

Coming into the sixth end and DAFS appear to be in control again. After strikes from Stockton and Sloan, McQuistin faces three stones and has an option to either draw for one or attempt a double take out. With the knowledge that his draws had been more successful than his strikes in the past few ends and that the team was playing better against the hammer he opts for the draw. He regrets this decision as DAFS steals a three.

EU do their best to find three stones to bring themselves level in the last end. Curry again places a stone out wide on the house. DAFS continues their guarding game yet Edinburgh manage to get two stones in behind. Two draws from DAFS and McQuistin unable to do anything sensible the game ends. EU takes one.

Overall both teams were very happy with the standard of play. DAFS were given a challenge and EU stepped up their game – Especially Curry who was on the ice for their second time ever! – to take on last years runners up in the league. Hopefully more results like this to come.

Gavin McQuistin

Linlithgow League

Murrayfield Curling, 13th January 2013

Coming into this fixture the university team had incredibly low expectations. Having lost 15-1 in the previous meeting with Carrington this season they knew that even matching that score would be something of an achievement. Unfortunately that was all that they managed and despite the result, the teams remained friendly on the ice with Carrington encouraging the inexperienced Edinburgh team and bemoaning any bad luck.

A slow start did little to help the Edinburgh cause and by losing 8 shots in the first two ends the team knew it would be a difficult afternoon and a repeat of a story that had happened all too often this season. Edinburgh could never string a sequence of good stones together so never threatened to make it onto the scoreboard despite from some promising front end play including some very consistent draws coming from 2nd. Despite this, and admittedly partly due to the graciousness of the opposing skip, the University team finally scored their only point after McCrossan’s well hidden draw could not be removed. McQuistin did try his best however to promote an opposition stone and leave Edinburgh running out of ends in which to score.

This thankfully was not the case and the team played an improved final end to come away with an exact repeat of the season’s previous encounter: a 15-1 defeat. The team came off the ice dejected, feeling as though there was very little to be taken from such a performance but the opposition were full of encouragement and sympathy.

I left the rink with the words of the Carrington skip echoing in my head, “The last time we stuffed you, you went on to win the next one…” Who knows what’s around the corner…

Eoin McCrossan

Linlithgow League

Murrayfield Curling, 2nd December 2012

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

Linlithgow League

Murrayfield Curling, 18th November 2012

Edinburgh University came into their next Linlithgow League game, hoping to build momentum following on from their first win of the season against DAFS. Things certainly started well with debutant Keatinge drawing the button with only her second ever competitive stone. However with the more experienced Ward and Stockton both struggling to find their weight the Vets successfully used their last stone advantage to take a 2. And in a much tighter second end, a well guarded draw from the Vets couldn’t be removed allowing them to steal a one.

However Edinburgh were now spurred on by this, with Ward producing a perfect draw sneaking in between two central guards and with the Vets unable to remove it, Skip McQuistin was able to draw in to bring Edinburgh right into the game with a 2.  The fourth end remained tight with Stockton sitting on the Vets stones at the back of the house. However the Vets’ skip was able to tap one of his guards forward to lie slightly closer. Despite this, McQuistin played a very impressive draw sneaking behind to lie shot which would eventually win the end to level the match.

The fifth end was just as competitive and with the front of house cluttered with stones, it required a very good draw from the Vets to take the lead again. However the University team were still confident and kept the sixth end just as close, however a couple of lovely tap-ups from the Vets meant McQuistin was left with a very tricky hit and roll which he only narrowly missed.

Unfortunately the efforts of the previous sixth ends had worn the students out and with concentration dropping, important takeouts were missed, allowing the Vets to take full advantage despite Keatinge drawing the button again.

The score line certainly does not do the team justice, with their opposition admitting afterwards, that they were worried until the sixth end. However, there certainly were positives to be taken away and if performances can be kept to such a high standard then the team will certainly start picking up more results.

 Fraser Stockton

Linlithgow League

Murrayfield Curling, 28th October 2012

It was a tough afternoon for Edinburgh University as they were soundly beaten 15-1 by a relentless Carrington rink. Expectations were low coming into the match but Edinburgh will be disappointed at how poorly they played in a game in which they never really forced the opposition into a corner.

After a disappointing first end Edinburgh ploughed on regardless and some good play from their skip enabled them to keep the next two ends more respectable. The fourth end was Edinburgh’s best as some promising front end play from Gallagher and McCrossan was matched by good stones from Stirling and Spain as Edinburgh finally got onto the scoreboard.

Unfortunately it went downhill from there with the only highlights being a great double takeout from Stirling in the fifth that was followed in the sixth end by an audacious effort from Spain, facing 5, to take 1. Unfortunately she did not succeed but managed to cut Carrington down to 1.

A word of praise must also be given to Gallagher who was making his competitive debut for the club; he coped admirably under difficult circumstances and produced some excellent stones in end four. On a personal level, I would like to thank my brother who came all the way from Belfast to see his first game of curling, alas this time it wasn’t the best result. Unfortunately Edinburgh University sit bottom of the league without a win, but who knows, that win could be just around the corner… Keep believing!

I feel the final word should go to a player from the Veterans’ Curling Club on the adjacent sheet who, when I said the game wasn’t going to plan quickly responded; “Simple, change the plan!”

Eoin McCrossan

NB – this report is for a match dating to the 28th October 2012, and since then the Club have gone on to win a match against DAFS. The Publicity Officer offers his apologies for the delay in up-loading the report.

Linlithgow League

Murrayfield Curling, 14th October 2012

Edinburgh University used this latest match against Aegon to give some complete beginners their first taste of a full-length game. Despite the front end of Tianyu Yang and Yves Krayenbuhl having barely 10 hours experience between them, they coped well and, most importantly, enjoyed themselves.

As the linescore suggests, Aegon frequently stole points but always 1s and 2s – testament to the University’s damage limitation against a comparatively more adept outfit.

Aegon’s ability to play front of tee meant that the University’s skip, Ted Edmunds, was seemingly always left with very little to play with. Raises on guards were bravely attempted but the best that came of them was a reduction in Aegon’s score from 3s and 4s to 2s.

The most memorable moment came in the fourth end when Yang, Krayenbuhl and third Schuyler Ward had managed to fill the house with University stones for the first time but still didn’t lie shot. Edmunds faced a ‘Hollywood’ shot with the hammer – a cross-house double to incredibly lie six. He hit the first and rolled across the house but narrowly flashed past the second Aegon stone to concede another steal.

Determined to get on the scoreboard, the University team seemed to pick up their game at 11-0 down. Good build up play left Edmunds a draw to the button for a single which he executed well. The final end saw a further single stolen by the University after some well placed guards from the front end.

Yang and Krayenbuhl can be proud of their first appearances for the University, how well they carried themselves against a stronger team and the part they played in preventing a demoralizing defeat without score.

Ted Edmunds