Hello FCC Members.

It’s been so long since I posted a blog I hope this one works! It’s a copy of an e mail that Jim sent out but we are trying to sensors it reaches as wide a readership as possible. 

You may already be aware of the financial problems facing Ayr Curling Club. Jim’s e mail is a hint as to what FCC can do to assist. Please read it and if you require a copy of any forms/letters please let Jim or myself know (I couldn’t paste them into the blog).

Hoping you and yours are staying safe and prepared for Christmas 

Regards 

Alan 

Dear fellow Fullarton curlers,

I am writing to you regarding the current financial crisis facing the Ayr Ice Rink as a result of the COVID pandemic.

For those of you who have not renewed your Ayr Curling Club membership this year I have attached three letters from Ayr Curling Club which explain the situation and the background to it. There is also a form attached which I would ask you to complete and return to me by 31st December.

In brief the situation is that the running and maintenance costs for the rink mean that there is a very real danger that Ayr Ice Rink will not survive the pandemic and will go out of business in 2021.

The Scottish government have announced help for sports and some of the money, two million pounds, is to be allocated to ice rinks. As yet it is not known how much of this money is destined for Ayr Ice Rink and how far it will go to solving the current financial problem.

Ayr Curling Club have written to all members and clubs asking for pledges of financial support. As yet they are not looking for individuals or clubs to actually donate money.

Following discussion within the committee of Fullarton Curling Club we have decided that, with the agreement of the membership, we will make a pledge from our club funds. Mike McNeill, our club treasurer has confirmed that we will be able to do this without seriously compromising our own club's financial position. Fullarton Curling Club currently has a balance of £1184 with no known outstanding liabilities.

It was felt that it would be appropriate to offer the members three options to vote on for our club pledge: £200, £300 or £400. Whichever amount gets the most votes is what we will pledge.

On this basis, please use the attached FCCPledge Form and mark an 'X' in the relevant box beside the amount you feel we should pledge from club funds.

Please email your completed FCCPledge forms back to me at this email address by 31 December.

Best regards

Jim Paxton

President Fullarton Curling Dear fellow Fullarton curlers,

I am writing to you regarding the current financial crisis facing the Ayr Ice Rink as a result of the COVID pandemic.

For those of you who have not renewed your Ayr Curling Club membership this year I have attached three letters from Ayr Curling Club which explain the situation and the background to it. There is also a form attached which I would ask you to complete and return to me by 31st December.

In brief the situation is that the running and maintenance costs for the rink mean that there is a very real danger that Ayr Ice Rink will not survive the pandemic and will go out of business in 2021.

The Scottish government have announced help for sports and some of the money, two million pounds, is to be allocated to ice rinks. As yet it is not known how much of this money is destined for Ayr Ice Rink and how far it will go to solving the current financial problem.

Ayr Curling Club have written to all members and clubs asking for pledges of financial support. As yet they are not looking for individuals or clubs to actually donate money.

Following discussion within the committee of Fullarton Curling Club we have decided that, with the agreement of the membership, we will make a pledge from our club funds. Mike McNeill, our club treasurer has confirmed that we will be able to do this without seriously compromising our own club's financial position. Fullarton Curling Club currently has a balance of £1184 with no known outstanding liabilities.

It was felt that it would be appropriate to offer the members three options to vote on for our club pledge: £200, £300 or £400. Whichever amount gets the most votes is what we will pledge.

On this basis, please use the attached FCCPledge Form and mark an 'X' in the relevant box beside the amount you feel we should pledge from club funds.

Please email your completed FCCPledge forms back to me at this email address by 31 December.

Best regards

Jim Paxton

President Fullarton Curling Club

New Season Update September 2020

Our 2019-20 curling season came to a very abrupt end with the announcement of Lockdown on 23rd March, 2020. 

Our AGM and prize giving were cancelled at very short notice due to the arrival of Covid-19.

The committee were faced with a very difficult decision to suspend the club for the year 2020-21 as so many of our players were unavailable due to concerns about the virus, injuries and some even moving to another area. 

Since then the AGM minutes from 2019 and the audited accounts to March, 2020 have been e-mailed to the members. Prizes have been distributed and the trophies will be delivered as soon as possible. It is anticipated that an extraordinary meeting will be held next March to discuss our way forward. We expect to welcome many of our players back to the ice rink. 

Prize Winners for 2019-20

Autumn League - Mara, Katie, Steven & Richard

Spring League - Joe, Alison, Jennifer and Robin

Points  - Margaret

Doubles  -  Ronnie & Robin Wilson

Well done everyone!

Spring League Showdown!

Good Evening Drar Reader.
I’m trying something different tonight, I know you are not reading this in real time but as this is the Spring League Showdoen I’m going to blog from the comfort of the bar area, in real time. So here goes.
Rink 3 is Jim versus Steve Mc
Rink 4 is Joe versus Steve G in for David.

Joe is looking good in the first end, possibly a big score coming but Steve delivered two great stones and winkled Joe out the house, leaving with a single score.
Jim is building a good head too. Not many gaps for Steve to exploit. But Steve only needs one, he’s found it and sneaks in with a single as well.

There is no way into the house for Steve, he’s got one on the four foot but Joe has him surrounded and I don’t think it’s counting. He needs to promote a yellow if he’s going to cut Joe. Just not enough weight on that one. Two to Joe.

Nip and tick on Rink 3. Jim is guarding his two and Steve is helping him too. Not this time Steve, no way in, nearly a tap n roll. But it’s two fir the reds.

Third end. Guddle, guddle, Joe’s in trouble! Steve has this house sorted if he can promote a stone or two. Joe can’t seem to find away around the four front of house. More porridge Steve! That one was short and light. Steve takes a single.

Can’t quite see from up here but I looks like Jim is taking control. Only until Steve fils the gaps, knocks Jim out the house, slides in himself and that’s a two for Steve.

Right on the button Steve. Nice guards from Joe. That’ll please Steve no end. And so it proved. Joe couldn’t shift it. Steve couldn’t add to it. One red. 3-2 to Joe after four ends.

And for good measure, it’s very similar on Rink 3. With one on the button for Steve Mc. Jim just nibbles away, a wick here, a roll there and with the last stone, taps Steve out to take a one. It can’t be closer 3-3.

End four and I don’t think a stone has crossed the T line yet. Another guddle and from thus distance I can’t see whose doing what this end. Must be close, could be a measure? No, the stones are being moved and it’s anither single for Steve.

Quite the opposite on the other Rink. I can hardly see the rings for red stones. Looks like a big score coming Jim’s way. Although Steve has the hammer and there is a gap........and he found a way through. Just nicked his stone on the wrong side. It’s a two for Jim.

Can you get two stones on the button? Well you can but only one is going to count. As guards go up and gaps reduce its getting harder for Joe to dislodge that pesky red stone. It won’t take much but joe can’t nabsge it. Another single to Steve.

Jim is making Steve work if he wants to win. He’s kind of split the house and Steve is looking to reduce the score, maybe nick a one......another end where the last stone is crucial. You won’t believe it, halfway down the ice the stone stopped dead! That could be the killer blow for Steve’s title hopes. It’s another two for Jim and I think this is the last end.

Looks like Joe is taking control in the seventh. He’s sitting three and Steve is blocked out. Steve has shifted him but still looks like he’s lying two. He took a three. It goes into the eighth end and joe is leading!

Steve is building a good head too, he needs to! Could be lying three at the moment. But this is his last end, he’s run out of time. Jim is eating into this head. It’s very tight. And they are shaking hands! Who scored what? It’s a one to him. 8-3 to Jim.
That’s Steve’s chances all but gone. Hold on, what’s going on over in rink 4?

Steve is lying three. Now he’s lying one! Joe taps over and lies one. Steve shifted the stones at his first attempt but Joe is still lying. He’s guarded it well with his last stone. Steve has played with weight m, clipped his guard on the wrong side but it has knocked an an outside guard right into the mix! One to Steve!!!
A peel is enough for Joe to take the title. Congratulations to Joe and his team. It’s been a close battle all league long and fitting it should come down to the last stone of the last end. That was a great night if curling 🥌🏆🥌🏆😮🏆🥌

The Night of the Spouses

It’s getting exciting as the penultimate matches of the league could have a huge influence on the outcome. Would one team make have a great night and the luck of the ice? Could there be an upset? Read on............

Certainly there could be some latitude for players being upset as there were three couples on the ice and all opposing their better halves. So it is possible some were going home happier than others. But I’m sure they all kissed and made up before Horlicks and bed.

Normally at this point I give a brief resume of how the matches unfolded but his week, for a couple of reasons I’m just going to tell you about how the matches have affected the league ( don’t look or you’ll spoil the surprise!)

I think everyone who has played in the Spring league will agree the matches have thrown up some unusual situations, from both matches being high scoring to both matches being peeled. Joe and Steve are slugging it out for the title, each hoping to get an edge going into the last match, a cushion to give them a but if comfort.

Well you could not have scripted last nights results any better.
Joe and Steve won. Job done.
However they matched each other with the same margin of points difference and ends won, meaning the league is unchanged going into the final match.

All or nothing next week. Come on Dave and Jim, time to step up and cause an upset!

By the way, does anyone know what was on at the cinema last night? Apparently a couple of the players wanted to know 😉

Eleven is the magic number

Tuesday saw round seven of the Spring League and the matches were yet again competitive and exciting.

Jim took on David with both getting off to a high scoring start and Jim capitalising the most. A three traded with a four from David then another three from Jim. He followed that with a two which gave him a strong lead. He never looked back and although David as ever gave a run for his money, making Jim fight for every shot, it wasn’t until the seventh end that he registered another score. 

By then Jim was out of sight and with a shot tally that looked more like a phone number  3 0 3 2 2 1 0   ( it’s a taxi firm in Shettleston before you try it) the match’s was won in seven ends at 11-5.

On Rink Four Joe took on Steve. This has the making of an interesting match as Joe had only lost one match so far and that was to Steve. Again this was a close game in terms of tactics and shot making. 

It should have been sponsored by Right Guard thanks to the perspiration created from the sweepers trying to get guards up and failing miserably! Despite those shenanigans it was a case of last stones making the difference between a shot and a miss. 6-4 after four ends does not reflect the way the game had developed but Joe might not have seen it that way. 

Steve took his chances and stuck to his tactics and led 9-4 after seven ends. The teams went into the eighth with Joe clearly thinking a peel was on as a minimum. For a while he was absolutely on it and giving Steve a lot to think about. Ultimately Joe was left with a tricky last stone to knock Steve out and get a score but it wasn’t to be. Steve took another two and the match finished 11-4.

So eleven was the magic number this week. Steve has leaped over Joe on shots but there are two matches left. This league isn’t over and as we’ve seen in recent weeks, it would be foolhardy to predict what will happen in round eight.

A week off as it’s Doubles night next week but keep watching, it’s a cracking League!  

Congratulations Alison!

Congratulations to Alison who was part of Team McCorkell of Troon Portland who were Silver Medal winners at the RCCC Scottish Masters Championship at Greenacres. The link below tells you a little more. However when I spoke to an ever modest Alison on Tuesday she showed me her medal but omitted to mention the bountiful booty that went with it!

Well done to Alison and her teammates!
🥌🥈🍾🥌🥈🍾🥌🥈

https://www.ayrcurlingclub.co.uk/news/season-2019-20/aileen-mccorkell-runners-up-in-masters/

11th February Matches

Your intrepid reporter had to miss yet another game this week but was able to watch from rinkside for the second half of the matches and it was great to see each one developing after the high scoring matches of last week.

Jim was up against Steve and the score does not reflect the needle match that was going on end after end. The complete opposite of last week’s big ends, singles were scored in each of the seven ends. My on ice sources were keeping me updated regarding the state of play at the far end and there were opportunities for big scores on both sides, being pipped by final stones doing just enough. 

Frustratingly from Jim’s perspective those last stones were not sliding his way and he had to wait until the sixth end before he got on the scorecard. It ended 6-1 to Steve. We have to thank two friends from Disnae for stepping in at the last minute to ensure we had seven players on the ice. 

Over on the other rink it was a similar story, lots of last stones deciding the end and my sources reported that strong heads were being built but accurate deliveries were nicking the points. It was Joe against David and the run of play was frustrating for some and encouraging for others. Much like the other match the scoring was one sided, in Joe’s favour, it was end five before David recorded a score. This was a tactical match and either side could have triumphed. After eight ends Joe came out on top 9-3 but it could have been very different. 

In the league Joe has a two point lead over Steve and he’s only dropped two points........to Steve. Guess who plays who next week! But don’t write off David or Jim either. Looking at the results over the last four weeks you can’t predict what’s going to happen when these four teams take to the ice. 

So log in next week to see the latest instalment 😉🏆

Late Night Shotfests

This report is a week late but the games on 4th Feb must have been surreal for those participating.

It’s not clear if some players had been on the red bull but two teams were certainly flying at the late evening matches. This league has certainly had it all, from peels to big wins and this was a big win week.

League leader Joe took on Jim and clearly started the match with a show on intent, taking a three then losing a one. With consecutive threes in ends three and four he was already 9-1 at the halfway and Jim was really up against it. Jim took a single in the fifth which energised Joe who racked up five shots in the next two wens to win 14-2.

It sounds like a bruising game but I’m reliably informed it wasn’t the run away game that the score line suggests. Just one of those nights when it all fell to one team and Joe was the beneficiary.

Meanwhile David was up against Steve and after two ends there was nothing remarkable in the score at 2-1 to Steve. Then a run of 4-2-4 shots to Steve took everyone by surprise. Despite the numbers I hear each end was one stone away from a single but like Joe, the ice was with Steve and no matter what David threw at him, it was going to be Steve’s game. David did take another two ends but the last end was a big score for Steve. 18-4 was the final score.

So after two weeks of teams trading shot for shot, this was a compete contrast. It’s shaken up the table a bit with almost everyone shuffling places. Joe is still in front but it’s close!

Tuesday 30th Matches

Both rinks had full teams on this week (yes I know 😗)

Rink three saw Steve against Alison stepping into Joes shoes. Both teams had their eye in early on and it was tight for the first four ends. Two ends each and all square at 2-2 at that point. But Alison put the foot down and built up well guarded heads in ends five and six. Before you could say “we need a take out” Alison had a 9-2 lead and looked comfortable for the win. Steve came back in the seventh with a two and the match ended at 9-4. It was a tight game with not much in it and goes to show how the odd shot can turn a match. Well played Alison, Joe couldn’t have done better! 

Meanwhile Dave and Jim were doing their best to replicate last weeks ding dong matches trading shots and ends. Not quite the symmetrical scoring as they took two ends each to sit all square at 3-3 after four ends. The trend continued for the next three ends each one a single and Jim took the seventh end to win 5-4. No doubt Dave was hoping they’d play an eighth but time was against him and the possibility of a “repeel” has passed. 

Once again this week the games were both close and exciting. The league is starting to take shape. Joe is still on top, whilst Dave and Steve have swapped places. Almost at the halfway point, too early to call. So come back next week to see whose making gains and whose fighting back!

Spring League 21st January 2020

What a night of curling!!
Joe Miller's team of Alison, Robin and Jennifer played a stormer against Dave Pittam's 3 man team of himself, Anne & Richard.
Fullarton Curling Club  has never witnessed such a close game with no more than 1 point being conceded at any end. The scoring see-sawed back and forth until the game concluded after 8 ends at 4-4 (a peel)!  Well played!

On Sheet 1 we had 2 three man teams.  Jim Paxton's team of  himself, Mabel and Ronnie also had an extremely close game against Steve McCreath, Margaret & Campbell. Jim's team took an early lead of 3 points then Steve fought back with 3 points in the 4th end and 3 points in the 5th end. Jim made a late come back and they finished at 6 points each.(another peel!)

Everyone enjoyed playing such good games and to a high standard. Well played everyone!

Spring League Fixture List

The Spring League Fixture List has a small omission in the matches listed. All four teams are playing on 28th January. There is a gremlin in my spreadsheet that is refusing to let me populate the cell that would show A v B.

Spring League Match 2

Well well well! You couldn’t ask for things to be any closer after two matches. Here’s what happend and how it has shaped the league positions.

On Rink 6 it was Dave against Steve, with Dave a player down. Straight out the blocks it looks like Steve aimed to take advantage of the extra sweeping and took a four. But don’t write Dave off quite so fast dear reader, sometimes three is better than four if they get their collective eye in and in the second end Dave replied with a four! Pretty much nip and tuck through ends three and four with Dave edging ahead 6-5. Looks like all that action took its toll as the speed of play slowed down and singles were scored in the remaining three ends. Significantly all of them were in Dave’s favour and the match ended after seven ends at 9-5.

A full house of players on Rink 5 as Joe and Jim faced off for the first time in this league. A steady single from Joe, followed by a two which was equalled by Jim in the third end. However a two in the fourth gave Joe a three shot cushion at the halfway mark. Jim took a single but that was enough for Joe. He got the elbows out, racking up four shots in the next three ends to win an eight end match by an impressive 9-3. 

Looking at the league table there’s hardly a wee wick between them. Everyone has won one game, it’s almost equal on ends and it’s fair to say that positions don’t count for much at the moment.......although Joe might disagree, he’s top dog this week! 

Spring League Game 14th January 2020

Both games were hard fought, however Dave Pittam's 3 man team came out the victors over Steve McCreath's. Anne played really well and they didn't seem to suffer for being a player short. Each team started with 4 and were level going into the 3rd end where Dave's team took the lead and went on to win 9 - 5.

Joe Miller's rink had a healthy win over Jim Paxton's rink. Mike McNeill was not available to play as unfortunately he is off for several weeks due to a fractured wrist. Joe's team played a steady game and went on to win 9 - 3.

Stranraer Weekend 2020

Three teams from Fullarton took part in the Stranraer weekend competition, and given the wild weather it was a great place to be.

Good food, good company and some curling ( not all in the "good" category).

Each team had some success by winning a game, but this year the semi finals took place without us. It was great to have Rachel and Amy with us again.  They certainly boosted the curling and reduced the average age.

Everyone had a wonderful time and we hope to field more teams next year. The weekend will be 8th - 10th January, so please put the date in your diary now.

Some photos.

Pre dinner drinks

More drinks

First Spring League Games

Welcome to 2020 Curlers!
Let’s put the excesses of the Festive period behind us and focus on the Spring League where we have four teams playing nine matches .........and they’re off ! 🥌🥌🥌

Sorry folks but to paraphrase a well known sports reporter, I wasn’t at the match. So what follows is my take on the games based on the scorecards!

A couple of high scoring matches straight out the hack this week.

On Rink 1 we had Dave up against Jim. Dave has only a three person rink and it looks like this was a grinding match trading singles for the first four ends. It was 3-1 to Jim at the half way stage. But Jim put the floor down in ends five and six taking threes in each one and pulling away to a commanding  9-1 lead going into the seventh.

Dave fought back but with only a one on the board and the clock against him, there was no eighth end, denying him the opportunity of a comeback. The match ended 9-2 in Jim’s favour.

Rink 2 saw Bert stepping in for Joe, up against Steve.  A steady single from Steve in the first end was quickly wiped out by a three from Bert in the second. Not taking that sort of attack lying down, Steve took a three in the next.......and another. At the halfway mark he was up 7-3
He followed those with a single and a two, by the end of the sixth end he had a strong 10-3 lead. However Bert fought back taking a two but with a five shot margin going into the last Steve was too experienced to let a head build up and with Bert securing a single the game ended at 10-6.

It’s only week one of the league so don’t get to disheartened or jubilant. Lots to play for as the days   grow longer and daffodils poke their noses out into the sunshine....... no honestly, there will be sunshine eventually!