THE big event of the past week was the Border Bonspiel, which took up sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, writes Alistair Lindsay,
Involving some 19 clubs, each putting in at least two rinks – more according to club numbers – no attempt will be made to list the triumphs, tragedies, draws and any other disasters that took place.
Suffice to say there was much entertainment, coupled with the combined efforts of Bill Clegg and Jim Buchanan’s IT expertise keeping an up-to-the-minute record as games were played.
When all was totted up, dark horses Jedburgh came out as winners, both their rinks doing as much as needed to win this long-running contest.
The Auld Yins produced four close games on Friday afternoon, and at this stage, James Dixon’s rink is at the head of the league by a comfortable margin.
Friday evening saw the Foulden Invitation Bonspiel take place with just three games, but it was a quality rather than quantity occasion. The Blacksmith’s rink were in striking form as they hammered their opposition by teens of shots, keeping ahead of Fiona Turnbull’s similar massacre of their opposition. The third game was a most un-bonspielly peel. Wilma Cumming and Margaret Cadzow oversaw the smooth running of the event.
The semi-finals of the Tweedmouth Kettle proved unrewarding for Swinton and Greenlaw who, once again, fell to Duns and Earlston respectively, and in a very close final the Rhymers took the honours for the umpteenth time in the past 14 years or so.
In the final round of Masstock Border League games for 2011, there were four very close contests. Lauderdale consolidated Lammermuir’s grip on the bottom of section two at 5-3, Kelso’s third successive loss was to Greenlaw 8-7, and in section one Swinton and Selkirk peeled 6-6, and a valiant rearguard effort by Chirnside against Duns just fell short at 7-6, keeping the Dingers in reasonably close contention in the section.