Saturday 24th October 2015 saw the 4th Indoor Grand Match. This event happens across all 17 curling rinks in Scotland and is a North v South challenge that is a homage to the historical Grand Matches that were played on frozen lochs when winters are cold enough. The North / South divide is notionally the Forth and Clyde. KCDC entered two rinks to this event with George Ponton, Kirsty Cassells, Geoff Thorpe-Tracey and Gill Neil playing Carrington 2 (Edinburgh) at Kirkcaldy with Colin Bruce, Colin Ballantine, Gill Gentry and Eddie O'Donnell taking on Cairns (Dumfries) at Kinross.
At both rinks the players paraded onto the ice with a piper with team photos taken before getting down to the serious business of playing.
Kirkcaldy is always an interesting challenge as it is primarily an ice hockey / ice skating rink that hosts curling. The ice is generally a bit slower and has some interesting slopes on it that required some negative handle. Kinross got off to a good start taking two shots in the first three ends through a combination of good play and missed shots by the opposition. A single in the 4th end put us 7 - 0 up in time for "stacking the brooms". After some refreshments (whisky & irn-bru) we took 4 shots at the next end giving an 11-0 lead after 5 ends. Carrington then came back into the game taking a single in ends 6 & 7 and 4 shot in the final end for a final score of 11-6. We then retired to the bar for food, drink and some good chat.
The other Kinross team had a tougher draw and came up against a strong Dumfries team (Cairns) who had potentially 4 skips in the team. The Kinross team put up a good fight but ended the match 5-8.
The overall match finished with a convincing victory to the South, who have won all 4 of the IGMs to date. Roll on 2020!
At both rinks the players paraded onto the ice with a piper with team photos taken before getting down to the serious business of playing.
Kirkcaldy is always an interesting challenge as it is primarily an ice hockey / ice skating rink that hosts curling. The ice is generally a bit slower and has some interesting slopes on it that required some negative handle. Kinross got off to a good start taking two shots in the first three ends through a combination of good play and missed shots by the opposition. A single in the 4th end put us 7 - 0 up in time for "stacking the brooms". After some refreshments (whisky & irn-bru) we took 4 shots at the next end giving an 11-0 lead after 5 ends. Carrington then came back into the game taking a single in ends 6 & 7 and 4 shot in the final end for a final score of 11-6. We then retired to the bar for food, drink and some good chat.
The other Kinross team had a tougher draw and came up against a strong Dumfries team (Cairns) who had potentially 4 skips in the team. The Kinross team put up a good fight but ended the match 5-8.
The overall match finished with a convincing victory to the South, who have won all 4 of the IGMs to date. Roll on 2020!