Mens Team – 4pm – Ireland 7 Bulgaria 3

Pretty it wasn’t but a wins a wins after game 3 of the Irish Men’s European C league.

A stubborn Bulgarian team were the opposition this time around and like the last game, it was a cagey start with the first half of the game consisting of swapped singles.

The second half started with the Bulgarians with the hammer and they missed a chance to blank, ending up taking a single.

In the sixth, the Irish team were really well setup but two excellent shots by the Bulgarian skip meant that the Irish team had to pull off a good double to blank.

In the seventh the Bulgarian team started well and were looking good but a couple of excellent draws by the Irish put pressure again on the Bulgarian skip. This time he was unable to pull off the necessary shots and the Irish team took a three, to go up two going into the last end.

The last end was kept relatively clean without too much drama and the Irish finished out the match 7-3.

Next up France at 8pm tonight.

Mens Team – 8am – Ireland 8 Romania 5

Ireland dispatched Romania early today in their second match of the European C division in Champéry.

The game started with cagey tit for tat singles in the first half of the game before Ireland started to become a bit more adventurous leading to a three in the sixth. However, having thought that the match was then won, the team managed to totally switch off and gave back an immediate soft three in the seventh to raise the overall tension and the blood pressure of the Irish coach.

A nervy last end followed with a lot of stones in play and chances for both teams. Ultimately, though the game was over before the Irish skip had to play his final stone. A three to Ireland to close out the game 8-5 with the next match against Bulgaria in a few hours time.

Mens Team – Ireland 11 Andorra 1

Ireland’s mens team kicked off their European C league challenge with a comfortable win against an inexperienced Andorran team this afternoon in Champéry.

Despite losing the last stone draw, the Irish men’s team managed to take the first five ends to lead nine to nil, before the Andorran team took a one. The Irish team then took a comfortable two with the hammer for the first time to close out the match 11 – 1.

For Andorra, the bright light on the horizon is that their skip made a number of real pressure draws and we wish them well going forward.

Having been given a general time warning at the initial team meeting, the Irish team ran through the game at a fair clip which should help with tomorrow’s schedule which includes three matches against Romania, Bulgaria and the French.

Today also marked the international debut of Eoin McCrossan who put in a solid performance as the Irish team lead.

Women’s Team – Slovakia 12 Ireland 9

The Irish ladies started very well against Slovakia and lost only 3 of the 8 ends but a couple of big ends lost took the score away from them.

Tonight is the tournament’s opening ceremony and so far the impression is of an extremely very well organised competition.

Tomorrow is a busy day for the mens team with 3 games at 8am vs Romania, 4pm vs Bulgaria and 8pm vs France. The women play Slovenia at noon.

Curling fan Ciarán Bryce got in touch to invite ICA members to the Dolly Cup in Geneva next month.

Ciarán writes: “I know that most Irish curlers are up in Scotland, but there are a few
of us on the continent. I am currently vice-president of Geneva
Curling Club here in Switzerland, not too far from Champéry where the
two Irish teams are playing next week in the Europeans C. The two
French teams, who will also be participating, are training in our hall
this weekend.
“If anyone of you is looking for a fun tournament on the continent this
season, then try out the Dolly Cup. It is on from the 27th to 29th of
November in our new curling rink in Geneva. You can find further
details here: http://www.curling-geneve.ch/dolly.html. Or don’t
hesitate to contact me if you need further information.”

Irish men’s team member/leprechaun, James Russell outside the Palladium de Champéry.

Bonjour

After a day travelling, the Irish Mens & Womans teams have now settled into their accommodation in the Swiss town of Champéry. The town nestles high up in the Alps in the canton of Valias and is a beautiful setting for the European C division Curling Championships.

The plan for today is to travel to the local centre Monthey and stock up on food provisions for the week ahead.

We also have a practice session organised to prepare for the start of the competition tomorrow… The Men play Andora and Ladies play Slovakia at 4:30pm EST.

Go Ireland …