Speyside curler Andy Cameron claims Moray Province's Gammack Bell prize after victory over Steve Rankin in nail-biting final
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In a repeat of last year’s final, Andy Cameron grabbed back the Gammack Bell in a thrilling final against Steve Rankin.
Donated by well-known Speyside legend Charlie Gammack, it was perhaps appropriate that fellow villager Cameron got his hands on the Bell for the third time.
Skip Andy with son Gavin and his two henchwomen Louise Marshall and Susan Mackenzie were always ahead after a two shot count in the opening end and it seemed like fait accompli as they sat on a 6-2 lead after five ends.
The Rankins, however, had other ideas, picking up three shots in the sixth end to get right back in with a chance of victory.
In the deciding end, dad Steve’s last stone just failed to get to Cameron’s counter and thus the Elgin family rink shook hands, with Cameron not required to play his own last rock.
In Moray Province East League Division 1, Donald Ross’s Sunninghill rink put the proverbial cat amongst the proverbial pigeons in the title race with a solid 8-4 win over Buckie’s Alan Campbell.
A 7-0 lead after three ends allowed the hotel team to coast home and put a dent in Campbell’s championship aspirations, the Buckie team now two points behind Andy Cameron with two games remaining.
Division 2 pacesetter Abby Duncan had a second successive defeat, going down 8-4 to a rampant Forres team missing regular skip Charlie Watt jnr.
Stand-in Gordy Kelly steered the rink home from a 5-0 second end lead and to be honest, the Fochabers four were never really in contention thereafter and now hold the slimmest of division leads over second-placed clubmate Alan Durno. Speaking of whom, when the big Clochan farmer is in the house, the ice rink often sounds like there might well be a heifer in obstetric distress as his booming tones bawl out instructions to his sweepers.
Durno was always ahead against Aberlour’s Willie Cameron and a count of five in the sixth end looked like it might be decisive until a pick up of four by deputising Aberlour skip Jim Gault in the seventh tightened the contest up.
Ahead 9-7 but with the opposition lying a strong three shots in the final end, Durno’s fourth player Mike Watt had to summon all his experience and cool to draw a beauty to the pot lid for an exciting 10-7 win.
Mike MacDonald kept his Forres team in the promotion hunt with a resounding 10-3 win over Bob Stewart.
Honours even at three apiece after four ends, MacDonald picked up a series of twos and a single steal for his comprehensive victory.
Results
Moray Province Mixed Knockout Final:
A. Cameron 6 S. Rankin 5
Moray Province East League
Division 1:
D. Ross (Sunninghill) 8 A. Campbell (Buckie) 4
Division 2:
A. Duncan (Fochabers) 4 C. Watt jnr (Forres) 8
W. Cameron (Aberlour) 7 A. Durno (Fochabers) 10
R. Stewart (Elgin) 3 M. MacDonald (Forres) 10
