Moray Province Curling latest news as Owen Watson's junior rink continues to impress
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Centre stage in the Moray Province curling leagues was taken by divisions 3 and 4 at Moray Leisure Centre this week.
Owen Watson’s Moray juniors continued their Division 3 leading form with a convincing 10 -2 win over Helen Downey’s Elgin rink.
Counts of three at the first and third ends gave the youngsters a great start and they never took their foot off the gas, winning each of the last three ends to run away with both points and lead the division by two points.
Andrew Allardyce is just one win behind Watson and despite falling 4-0 behind to Forres’ Linda Hardie. The wily campaigner suddenly woke up and with Mike Kemp steering the Elgin ship, they didn’t lose another shot to finish 7-4 victors.
In Division 4, Katie Gordon’s juniors gave league leader Janice Rankin a proper fright.
Coming back from an 8-1 deficit after five ends to pick up a four and a deuce, Katie just fell short in a a remarkable fight back and a very relieved Moray Firth Ladies rink shook hands on an 8-7 win that keeps them atop the division rankings.
In the battle of the Buckie newcomers, it was Jodi Best’s team that gained the bragging rights with a solid 8-2 win.
Royan and Rutzler may sound more like a firm of dodgy solicitors, but as Best’s front end, they proved instrumental in maintaining their team’s league title aspirations.
In a rearranged Division 1 game, Elgin Tennis Club and their Fochabers opponents swapped league positions as Roy Thomson sneaked a tight 6-5 win over Bill Jaffrey.
One shot down, with the hammer, going into the last end and lying a single shot, Thomson coolly drew through a central port to pick up the required two shots for his nail-biting win.
In the west of the Province, Ali Fraser still leads Division 1 with a solid 6-3 win over Ali Asher with Dalcross’s Mark Fraser hot on his heels following his big win over Gus Forbes. An opening three and five consecutive winning ends gave Fraser a convincing 11-3 win.
Ruaridh Greenwood heaped more misery on pointless Jamie Cattell, but a tight 7-5 game at least gave the Nairn team some hope for the season’s remaining games.
In Division 2, Nairn’s Larry Kerr edged out clubmate Mike McInnes and took his rink into pole promotion spot with a keenly contested 6-4 win whilst Ricky Marwick did his promotion hopes no harm with the tightest of wins over Fiona Steel’s Nairn Ladies.
Results
East Province
Division 1:
W. Jaffrey (Fochabers) 5 D. McPherson (Elgin Tennis Club) 6
Division 3:
A. Allardyce (Elgin) 7 L. Hardie (Forres) 4
H. Downey (Elgin) 2 O. Watson (Moray Juniors) 10
Division 4:
J. Best (Buckie) 8 J. Walls (Buckie) 2
J. Rankin (Moray Firth Ladies) 8 K. Gordon (Moray Juniors) 7
West Province
Division 1:
M. Fraser (Dalcross) 11 A. Forbes (Nairn) 3
J. Cattell (Nairn) 5 R. Greenwood (Ardclach) 7
A. Asher (Nairn) 3 A. Fraser (Ardclach) 6
Division 2:
M. McInnes (Nairn) 4 L. Kerr (Nairn) 6
R. Marwick (Dalcross) 5 F. Steel (Nairn Ladies) 4
