Moray Province Curling West rink skippered by Ally Fraser win Pockets Scottish Province Championship title
At the west end of the Moray curling province, Ally Fraser and his Ardclach rink of Neil MacArthur, Dean Clark and Grant Fraser did Moray curling proud last weekend by winning the prestigious Scottish Province Championships at Greenacres ice rink in Renfrewshire.
Fraser and his team have had several close run things over recent years and this time were unbeaten over seven games, defeating Dunbartonshire 5-4 in a nail-biter of a final.
On west league matters, the Ardclach lads had no difficulty in dispatching Nairn’s Jamie Cattell 9-1 in their Moray Province Division 1 game, whilst fellow title aspirants Tom Pendreigh and Ruaridh Greenwood picked up a point apiece in a thrilling 5-5 draw.
Fiona Steel’s Ladies and Nairn’s Rory Asher also peeled at 5-5 in division two.The pacesetters in Moray Province East curling’s third division posted handsome wins this week.
Darnaway’s Alan Douglas whitewashed Helen Downey’s Elgin rink 9-0 and Sandy Howie defeated Julie Stewart’s Moray Firth Ladies.
The ladies were 3-1 up after three ends but never troubled the scoreboard thereafter as Howie’s rink’s four-end scoring spree saw them comfortable 9-3 victors.
Dave Duff was deputy for absent skipper Bob Stewart and certainly earned his corn as he navigated the Elgin team to a 12 -2 win over Gateway’s Steve Field.
A count of five at the fourth end and a lead of 9-1 was sufficient to snuff out any challenge from their rivals.
In Division 4, Moray Junior’s Cameron Turnidge was in tremendous form, picking up threes at ends two and six and just giving up single shots in an 8-3 win and John Key’s Gateway team were just about as comprehensive in their 7-3 victory over Ruthie Harris.
Results, Moray Province League West
Division 1: T. Pendreigh (Dalcross) 5 R. Greenwood (Ardclach) 5; A. Fraser (Ardclach) 9 J. Cattell (Nairn) 1
Division 2: R. Asher (Nairn) 5 F. Steel (Nairn Ladies) 5
Moray Province League East
Division 3: A. Howie (Buckie) 9 J. Stewart (Moray Firth Ladies) 3; R. Stewart (Elgin) 12 S. Field (Gateway Club) 2; A. Douglas (Darnaway) 9 H. Downey (Elgin) 0
Division 4: C. Turnidge (Moray Juniors) 8 R. Christie (Buckie) 3; J. Key (Gateway Club) 7 R. Harris (Moray Juniors) 3.
