Kinross Hogmanay Pairs
Kinross Curling Rink, 17th December 2011

Back in 1988, whilst a member of the Edinburgh University Curling Club, Iain Cormack won a Half-Blue.  That same year both his opponents in this match, Ted Edmunds and Michael Nicholson, were born, therefore to say he had a lifetime’s experience more than each would be no exaggeration.  Together with Paul Baughan, Cormack was looking to defeat a second Edinburgh University team in one day, having dispatched David Jenkins and Alistair Wallace with ease earlier on.  For Edmunds and Nicholson, this would be the real start to their Hogmanay Pairs challenge, their initial outing against the new Scottish Mixed Doubles Champions always likely to end in defeat.

Thoughts of a strong challenge here were quickly dashed though, as Cormack and Baughan took a triple in the first end, capitalising on the Edinburgh pair’s inability to find tee weight to split the house early and instigate a striking game.  A stronger second end saw the stones pile up in the house, though the veteran pair maintained an advantage with a well-guarded stone in the front four-foot.  A strike attempt by Edmunds was unlucky not to remove that stone, and Cormack threw up another guard to block the line through.  Edmunds attempted a controlled takeout through a tight port and was unlucky to wreck at the lost moment and concede a steal of one.

A striking game ensued in the third, after Edmunds accidentally swept an intended Edinburgh guard into the house.  Baughan was the first to miss with his last, allowing Nicholson to split the house with a draw to the front of the twelve-foot.  Cormack removed this stone immediately, rolling out, but Edmunds was unable to find the house with his next.  A Cormack miss allowed Edmunds another attempt at the four-foot, this time finding its mark, and a further opposition miss allowed him to put another rock in the back twelve-foot.  Cormack hit this back stone and lay as second shot, which Edmunds was unable to beat with his draw, taking just the one point instead.

Cormack wrapped up proceedings with another single in the fourth end when his second shot, a draw to the four-foot buried behind a mass of guards, could not be bested.

Michael Nicholson