New names feature in U17 curling at Greenacres

Gavin, I know how you feel!

The pic is Gavin Reid, things not going too well in the final of the Baljaffray Under-17 event at Greenacres yesterday. Gavin and his team of Calum McLeod, Russell Boyd and Callum Preston came second in the U17 Slam competition. The winners were Alan Inch, Kyle Waddell, Andrew Ballantyne and Craig Waddell (photo below). Twenty-four teams took part. Inch beat Hannah Fleming's side in the semi, and Reid got past Billy Morton's team, with Jay McWilliam skipping, on the other side of the draw. Colin Dick's team of Anna Sloan, Lauren Gray and Struan Wood won the Low Road. All the scores are here. The Slam standings are here.

It was a busy weekend. I visited five rinks in four days - Perth, Aberdeen, Greenacres, Galleon and Ayr, and saw a cross section of Scottish curling, and our curlers in action! Ayr was my last stop and I was impressed to see the rink packed on a Sunday evening with club curlers, of all ages, enjoying their sport. This is what it really is all about.

From top: Gavin Reid; Gavin Reid and Alan Inch in the final (photos by Bob); L-R: Craig Waddell (lead), Andrew Ballantyne (2nd), Alan Inch (skip) and Kyle Waddell (3rd) with competition sponsors Margaret and Jimmy Paul (photo by Hugh Stewart).

Young and old at Greenacres

One of the Royal Club's most successful initiatives of recent years has been the introduction of the Under-17 Slam, which brings together various events for our youngest curlers into one series, with a big prize to play for at the end. Competitions at Perth, Lockerbie, Greenacres, Hamilton and Atholl make up the Slam.

The first of the events which make up this season's Slam actually took place at the end of last season, at the Dewar's rink in Perth. It was won by Michael Reid, whose photo is above and whose winning team is here.

What should have been the second Slam event should have been at Lockerbie, but was postponed because of that rink's early season woes. It has been rescheduled for January 12-13. All this means is that this weekend's competition at Greenacres for the Baljaffray trophy is the first time this season that we get to see Scottish curling's future stars on the ice. The results will be on the Royal Club website here.

In what is a busy week and coming weekend for Royal Club competitions, and for Colin Hamilton, the Royal Club's Manager of Competitions, the preliminary rounds of the National Masters (the over 60s) are on now at Greenacres. Results are here.

The first round of the Columba Cream Gold League, the Scottish Women's Championship, begins at Aberdeen on Saturday. Results here.

And the last round of the men's Mini Tour is at the Galleon, Kilmarnock, this weekend. The favourites to win the Mini Tour title is David Edwards side, on the basis of their record at Hamilton and Lockerbie. The Edwards team sit out the Kilmarnock event, and it will be up to others to steal the Colin Galbraith trophy away from them. Results will be here.

Michael Reid's photo (from last season's U-17 at Lockerbie) is by Bob.