2013 ICA vs Ardrossan Castle Friendly Results

Ardrossan Castle winning skip Andrew Campbell receives the trophy from ICA President Bill Gray.

Ardrossan Castle winning skip Andrew Campbell receives the trophy from ICA President Bill Gray.

This friendly annual event was revived by the ICA in 1994 but was first played in 1861. Originally we hoped to play it alternating between Irish and Scottish ice rinks, however we cannot provide ice time in Ireland at the moment.

The Trophy is the Belfast Medal hanging in a wooden curling stone. The medal was originally played for between Belfast Union and RCCC.

The venue this year was be Harvies Rink in Ardrossan, Scotland, followed by sandwiches at the Rugby Club.

The competition is two teams from each club play a single 8 end game each and the aggregate score across the two rinks determines the winner. This year the trophy was gained by Ardrossan with an aggregate score of 22 stones to 10.

The ICA seldom play at this ice rink and found the ice challenging but the company warm and friendly.

WSCC 2013 Team Profile – Peter Wilson

The profiles of the Irish men’s team going to the Euros in Sweden in December turned out to be informative and revealing!

With the World Seniors in Canada now on the horizon, let’s do the same with these players and see what answers raise the collective eyebrows this time!

Starting with men’s skip:

P-Wilson-Profile-picName – Peter Wilson
Age – 51
Occupation – Salesman
Status – single / married / divorced / still wondering? – Married
Children names and ages please – Sarah (5)
Years curling – 42
Home club and ice rink – Castle Kennedy, Stranraer

In-turn or out-turn? – No preference

Best ever curling memory? – Winning the first game at the Nagano Olympics against Ramsfjell (Norway)

Favourite sport outside curling:
To watch – Soccer
To play – Golf

If you had to switch careers, what job would you do? – Professional Golfer

Favourite TV programme? – Taggart

Favourite holiday destination and why? – Kenya, Honeymoon

Apart from the ICA, what website do you spend the most time on? – Golf/sports clothing sites

Best / worst subjects at school? – Best Arithmetic. Worst – Physics

Who’d be your four ideal dinner guests? – Walter Smith, Sergio Garcia, Colin Montgomery, Halle Berry

Sum yourself up in five words – Passionate, Fiery, Loud, Humourous, Impatient

Stranraer Bonspiel 2013 – results

The Irish International Bonspiel took place on the weekend of 22/23rd February 2013
at Northwest Castle Hotel, Stranraer, Scotland.

This was the 16th annual bonspeil and as usual the North West Castle Hotel were excellent hosts for the event.

All teams enjoyed 4 games of curling which was scored using the schenkel system and split into high and low roads on the Sunday.

Kathie & Jim Nixon

Kathie & Jim Nixon

Everyone paid tribute to Jim and Kathie Nixon who have now retired from organising this Irish Weekend after many years. They were presented with  a curling print and flowers by Bill and Janie Gray. Bill said: “On behalf of the ICA, I would like to thank Jim and Kathie for their tireless effort in making a success of our Irish International Bonspiel over the past number of years.”

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High Road winners of the Granite Trophy – Kathie Nixon, David Whyte, Kara Compton, Frances Whyte and Peter Wilson (skip) presented by ICA President, Bill Gray

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High Road Runners Up with The Ailsa Craig Painting – Alastair Fyfe, Kate Adams & Neil Fyfe (skip) & lead Alison Fyfe (absent) presented by ICA President Bill Gray.

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Low Road Winners of the Oak Trophy – Andrew Robinson, Rosemary Griffths, Alan Griffths, Rhona Robinson presented by the ICA President, Bill Gray

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Low Road Runners Up with the Quaich Trophy
Michael Sutherland, Fiona Turnbull, Frank Forest, Roberta-Ann Forest presented by ICA president Bill Gray.

2013 Mixed Challenge

The dates for the Irish mixed challenge for the right to represent Ireland at the European Mixed Curling Championships 2013 have been announced.

Robin Gray‘s rink of Louise Kerr, Johnjo Kenny and Hazel Gormley-Leahy and PJ Wilson‘s rink of Alison Fyfe, Neil Fyfe and Helen Wilson will playoff in a best-of-three at Greenacres Ice Rink.

Game 1 – Friday, 29th March – 7.30pm.

Game 2 – Saturday, 30th March – 8.30am.

Game 3 – Saturday, 30th March – 12noon.

The venue for the European Mixed has not yet been announced officially but, Murrayfield in mid-September seem to be the worst kept secret in curling.

Curling Connections

IMAGINE travelling three thousand miles to a world championship just to end up playing against curlers from your own ice rink!

The success of the rinks skipped by David Hay and Christine Cannon at last weekend’s Scottish Seniors in Hamilton means there will be eight Stranraer Ice Rink curlers on the ice at the upcoming World Senior Curling championships in Canada in April.

For Ireland -Peter Wilson, PJ Wilson, Neil Fyfe and Louise Kerr.

For Scotland – Norman Brown, Andrew McQuistin, Hugh Aitken and Christine Cannon.

That’s half the team from both nations.

But if you dig beneath the surface you unearth a long tangle of connections between these national champions as most of them are all former medal winning team-mates. And to add a bit of gunpowder to the mix, the Irish men, out to defend the world senior crown, play the Scottish men in their first game.

This extraordinary encounter will take place in a – very appropriate – high noon showdown on April 13th in the Grant-Harvey Center in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

So here comes the history bit…..

I must just add that I am in my absolute element with this. Sit me down with a pile of old Scottish Curler magazines from the 1970s and 80s and I go all Roy Cropper……

Let’s take a chronological look at the spider’s web of links between them:

PJ Wilson is held aloft by his team - left to right - Andrew McQuistin, John Sharp and Neale McQuistin.

PJ Wilson is held aloft by his team – left to right – Andrew McQuistin, John Sharp and Neale McQuistin.

1974PJ Wilson wins the Scottish Junior title with Andrew McQuistin playing third stones for him. The team travel to the first ever World Junior Championships in Toronto, Canada as Scotland’s representatives where they take the bronze medal. The rest of the team was John Sharp (who now curls for England) and Neale McQuistin.

When PJ married Anne in 1981 Andrew was his best man. PJ said at the time: “He was my best man in Canada and will be my best man at my wedding.”

Scottish Schools Champions 1977 - Stranraer Academy. Helen Wallace is held aloft by - left to right - John Sharp and Hugh Aitken with Peter Wilson below.

Scottish Schools Champions 1977 – Stranraer Academy.
Helen Wallace is held aloft by – left to right – John Sharp and Hugh Aitken with Peter Wilson below.

1977 – Peter Wilson and Hugh Aitken are team-mates in the Stranraer Academy team that wins the Scottish Schools Curling Championship. John Sharp was skipping the rink this time and the other member was Helen Wallace (now Vance). In the finals the Stranraer Academy team played George Watson’s School from Edinburgh, skipped by Norman Brown.

1979Andrew McQuistin skips his own rink to win the Scottish junior title and goes to win silver at the World Juniors in Moose Jaw, Canada. His second player is Hugh Aitken.

1980Andrew McQuistin retains his Scottish Junior title and wins gold for Scotland at the World Juniors in Kitchener Waterloo, Canada. His second player was again Hugh Aitken. Joining the team at third was Norman Brown.

1980 – Team-mates Andrew McQuistin, Norman Brown and PJ Wilson lose in the final of the Scottish Mens Championships. Other team member was Hew Chalmers.

1981 Andrew McQuistin attempting to win a third Scottish Junior title is knocked out in his own ice rink by a rink skipped by Peter Wilson. The new team go onto win World Junior gold in Megeve, France.

(NB – Peter’s third player Jim Cannon would later go on to marry the newly crowned senior ladies skip Christine Cannon (nee Allison).

European Silver medallists 1984 - left to right - Hugh Aitken, Peter Wilson, Roger McIntyre and Norman Brown.

European Silver medallists 1984 – left to right – Hugh Aitken, Peter Wilson, Roger McIntyre and Norman Brown.

1984 Peter Wilson teams up with Norman Brown and Hugh Aitken to take the European Silver medal in Morzine, France in for Scotland. The lead was Roger McIntyre.

2004 – Having moved to Ireland, Peter Wilson teams up with his namesake PJ Wilson to represent Ireland playing in their first European Championships in Bulgaria. They take silver in the ‘B’ Division. The other team members were Robin Gray, Johnjo Kenny and John Furey.

PJ qualifies to play for Ireland as his father was born in Derry.

2005 Peter and PJ play in the European ‘A’ Division for Ireland at Garmish -Partenkirchen in Germany. They come seventh. Team members were Douglas Dryburgh, Robin Gray and Johnjo Kenny.

2006 – The two Peters play for Ireland at the World Curling Championships in Lowell, USA.

In December that year, the two Peters and Neil Fyfe play in the European Championships ‘A’ Division in Basel, Switzerland.

European 'B' Gold medallists 2007 - left to right - Neil Fyfe, PJ Wilson, Robin Gray, Peter Wilson, Tony Teirney and coach Ron Myers.

European ‘B’ Gold medallists 2007 – left to right – Neil Fyfe, PJ Wilson, Robin Gray, Peter Wilson, Tony Teirney and coach Ron Myers.

2007Peter, PJ and Neil win European ‘B’ Division gold in Fussen, Germany. The other team members were Robin Gray and Tony Teirney.

2008 PJ Wilson skips Ireland in the European ‘A’ Division in Onskoldsvik, Sweden with Neil Fyfe in the team. Team members were Bill Gray, John Furey and David Smith.

2009Peter Wilson and Neil Fyfe play for Ireland at the European Championships ‘B’ Division in Aberdeen. PJ Wilson acts as coach. Team members were Robin Gray and Johnjo Kenny and Bill Gray.

2013 – The two Peters and Neil team up for a crack at the senior title for Ireland. They begin by knocking out the current World Senior Champions from Ireland -Johnjo Kenny, Bill Gray, David Whyte , Tony Teirney and David Hume – at a best of five playdown in Dumfries in January.

History repeats itself as this is the second time Peter Wilson has put out the world champions at the start of their title defence!

The Wilson team now head to Canada to take on their former team-mates in the Scotland shirt.

And what a mouthwatering prospect that is. You can bet that, after a very brief handshake, no quarter will be given on either side. Because who ever wins the other team are going to hear about it for the rest of their lives back home in Stranraer.

Ireland’s PJ Wilson and Scotland’s Hugh Aitken are even members of the same curling club Limekiln!

Finally….

Henderson Bishop winners 2003 - left to right - Marie Heaney, Christine Cannon, Louise Kerr and Kerry Adams.

Henderson Bishop winners 2003 – left to right – Marie Heaney, Christine Cannon, Louise Kerr and Kerry Adams.

2003 – The ladies also get in on the team-mates act. Scotland’s Christine Cannon and Ireland’s Louise Kerr teamed up at skip and third in 2003 to win the Henderson Bishop the RCCC Ladies Challenge Trophy.

2013 Spring Bonspiel – results

Held at the Green Hotel Ice Rink, Kinross in Scotland on Sunday 10th February 2013. For this bonspiel, attending members were divided up into six rinks who are drawn to play against one other rink.

The bonspiel winners were David Smith (skip), Mary Radcliffe, Sue Scotland and David Hull.

Thanks to our Kinross friends for making up the numbers, and also a warm welcome to our potential new members and our guests.

Full results and teams were:

David Smith, Mary Radcliffe, Sue Scotland & David Hull
won 14 v 3 against
Carolyn Hibberd, Arran Cameron, Frances Donald & Sharon Graham

John Graham, Eoin McCrossan,  Maureen McCulloch & Frances Whyte
won 10 v 3 against
Tom Roche, Jim Arkley, Kathie Nixon & Veronica Preston

David Hume, Sheila Arkley, Bill Radcliffe/Jim Nixon & Peter Preston
won  6 v 4 against
Ian Donald, Craig Whyte, Stevie Callan & Mary McFarlane

Senior Ladies back on the ice

THE senior ladies team heading to the world championships in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, in April got back on the ice last weekend.

This was their first time back together since last year’s championships in Copenhagen.

The team – Marie O’Kane, Louise Kerr, Gillian Drury and Christina Graham were put through two tough training sessions by gold medal coach Gordon McIntyre at Greenacres Ice Rink.

The ladies did timing drills, throwing stones in rotation at the times called out by Gordon – 3.10; 2.80; 2.20; 2.50. The stats from four repetitions of that  were then calcuated and we got the results back the following day. Room for improvement all round!

Laser technology was also empoyed by Gordon to make sure the team were lining their stone up directly at the brush at the set up point. Room for improvement there too!

Strategy was worked on, sweeping skill and communication polished up and to finish off we had a fun game of pairs.

The ladies were very grateful to Gordon and the time he spent with us. We learned a lot and plan to meet up with the coach a couple times more before heading across the pond.