Eve in Wetzikon, but not really!

All eyes may be on the Edinburgh International at Murrayfield, but there is another WCT-e event this weekend, the ZO in Wetzikon, in the women's tour.

Eve Muirhead's team is listed in the draw for this 24-team event. But she won't be there. Instead, Karen Addison, Vicki Adams, Rachael Simms and Annie Laird will line up as the Institute four.

Four sections of six, five games. The Scots are up first against Petra Tschetsch from Germany at 12.30 tomorrow (Friday).

Find the results here. If you want to see what the rink looks like it has a webcam here.

Our under-17 teams are in action too this weekend at the Baljaffray in Greenacres. Twenty-two teams are signed up. The draw is here.

This is the second version of the post. First version had incorrect info, sorry.

Weekend wrap

Firstly an apology. There was just so much happening at the weekend that we forgot something. Not that Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Sarah Macintyre are easy to forget, as the top rated junior women's team in the country. But the fact that they were competing in the Southwestern Ontario Women's Charity Cashspiel in London had dropped off the Editor's radar. A great experience for this young team. However, it does show that the Curling Today team needs its own spotters (probably could do with a full support team, including the physio and definitely a psychologist, but that's for another time).

So, a plea. If you think there's anything that should be getting a mention in the blog (and of course the Scottish Curler) don't hesitate to give us the heads up. Contact details are here, and the contact form is now working.

So how did Eve's team fare? They played four games, beating the USA's Debbie McCormick but losing to three local Ontario sides. They have further challenge matches scheduled before flying home.

Elsewhere in North America, Alan Smith, Neil McArthur, David Reid and Mark Fraser won through the C Road to the quarterfinals of the St Paul Cashspiel, a thirty-two team triple knockout. Last night they beat Craig Disher's team to make it to the semis. That game is today (Monday). Find out how they get on from this website.

At Murrayfield the Dunvegan Trophy Junior events were won by the Hannah Fleming, and Jay McWilliam teams.

And to brighten a Monday, here are a few more snaps from the Lockerbie mini tours:

Wild women at Lockerbie (Megan Priestley and Linsey Spence sweep Kay Adams' stone in the final)

Graeme Adam

Mini tour runner-up Gillian Howard. Don't imagine she's getting used to being the bridesmaid.

Kerry Barr has just said to Laura Kirkpatrick, "Have you heard the one about ....?"

Runner-up skip in the men's mini tour Jamie Dick

Andrew Reed English Lion.. growl, growl.

Expectation?

Kay Adams watches the line, with Lauren Gray and Claire Hamilton behind.

David Edwards gave up a four to Graeme Adam's senior champs in the quarterfinals, and were on the early bus home.

Team Jennifer Morrison at work

Three wise men: Don Frame, Fraser Hare, Duncan Gracie. Definite caption material!

Claire MacDonald

Next season's competition entries

You may well have noticed that the draws for next season's main events are appearing on the Royal Caledonian Curling Club website. Colin Hamilton, the competitions' manager, confirms that entries this year have remained strong. Only the Seniors' events are down in numbers, predictably as not all teams would be in a position to contemplate the self-funded trip to New Zealand for the Worlds, however attractive the event and the location. (The fall in entries for the Scottish Women's Championship, pointed out in the comment below, has already been mentioned, see here.)

The names of those competing in teams for the Junior Championships have been posted (here). In the Junior Women's event, entries are up, to eleven next season. The championship will be decided in the one week at Perth, February 3-8, using a slightly complicated formula to get down to the one team. Who will that be? With Scottish (and World) Champion skip Eve Muirhead recruiting Anna Sloan who she beat in the final last season, and with Vicki Adams and Sarah Macintyre still as the front end, this is the team that the others will have to beat!

There are twenty Junior Men's teams. There will be a qualifying playdown at Curl Aberdeen, January 23-25. Four sections of five, top two teams in each go forward to the Scottish Junior Championships at Perth, February 3-8.

Scottish Junior Champ Glen Muirhead has also recruited a former rival, Greg Drummond, to throw third stones and the team goes forward with the two Scotts - Andrews and Macleod - into next season. Remember of course that this is the team that has been selected to try to win Scotland a place at the World Juniors in Vancouver this season (see here). The Muirhead team will go to Taarnby in January for the European Junior Challenge, to try to qualify Scotland for the 2009 World Junior Championship.

Top: Anna Sloan takes over from Kerry Barr, now too old for Juniors, in Eve Muirhead's Scottish Champion team. Above: Greg Drummond, on the left, steps down from skipping his own rink, to play third for Glen Muirhead. Pics by Bob.

Presentation to Eve Muirhead

The photo shows Eve Muirhead being presented with a new chanter by Bill Wilks, representing Atholl Province curlers, at the Atholl Curling Rink, Pitlochry. This was in recognition of her success at the World Junior Curling Championships in Eveleth last season.

Now 16 years old, Eve's curling career started in the Atholl rink seven years ago and she uses the facility for regular practice with her brothers Glen and Thomas.

Eve is a piper with the Pitlochry and Blair Atholl pipe band and the chanter was specially hand crafted for her by David Naill and Co of Somerset who are regarded as the finest bagpipe makers in the world. The chanter was designed by Eve and has an engraved silver inscription. Most recently multi talented Eve piped the finalists of the Ramada Perth Masters on to the ice at the Dewars Centre! Here she is.

Presentation photo courtesy of Alister Walker.