Many thanks to Jayne Stirling for allowing the ICA to publish her excellent photographs from the Four Nations on our website.
That’s it for the 4N this time round – next year the competition will be at Ayr Ice Rink where Scotland will be the hosts.
Jen Ward’s memories of on the ice and in the snow at the weekend.
Marshall Millennium from RCCC President Billy Howat
Meikle Trophy from WCA President Adrian Meikle
Turnbull Trophy from ECA President Tommy Campbell
Many thanks to John Brown from the English Curling Association for sending a comprehensive spreadsheet of the scores from the Four Nations weekend.
Marshall Millennium – Ireland 33 Scotland 27
Alisa Anderson 5 Liz Paul 9; Johnjo Kenny 11 Malcolm McAskill 2; Bill Gray 10 Gordon Gilchrist 10; David Whyte 7 Robert Corbett 6
Meiklle Trophy – Ireland 29 Wales 24
David Whyte 3 Adrian Meikle 8; Alison Fyfe 10 Richard Pougher 6; Alison Fyfe 11 Laura Beever 5; Tony Tierney 5 James Pougher 5.
Turnbull Trophy – Ireland 33 England 22
Louise Kerr 9 Michael Sutherland 8; Carolyn Hibberd 3 Tommy Campbell 8; Johnjo Kenny 11 Andrew Reed 4; Carolyn Hibberd 10 Jean Robinson 2.
The ICA squad at the Four Nations weekend at Greenacres won all three trophies they played for.
This was a fantastic achievement so well done to all the players who represented Ireland.
Results to follow shortly.
Good luck to our Irish teams at the Four Nations this weekend at Greenacres Ice Rink:
TEAMS:
Saturday 16th January
Scotland 9am Men & Women
Johnjo Kenny Ailsa Anderson
James Russell Katie Kerr
Arran Cameron Clare McCormick
Bob Sherrard Jen Ward
Wales 12pm Mixed
David Whyte Alison Fyfe
Fiona Turnbull Tony Tierney
David Smith Charlotte Tierney
Frances Donald Eoin McCrossan
England 3pm Mixed
Louise Kerr Carolyn Hibberd
Ross Barr Dave Hibberd
Margarita Sweeney Baird Christina Graham
Steve Callan Bob Sherrard
Sunday 17th January
Scotland 9am Mixed
Bill Gray David Whyte
Louise Kerr Margarita Sweeney Baird
Alan Mitchell David Smith
Frances Whyte Jacqui Barr
Wales 11.30am Men & Women
Tony Tierney Alison Fyfe
Ross Barr Ailsa Anderson
Eoin McCrossan Katie Kerr
Steve Callan Clare McCormick
England 2.00 pm Men & Women
Johnjo Kenny Carolyn Hibberd
Bill Gray Charlotte Tierney
Arran Cameron Jen Ward
David Hume Gillian Russell
Last year the Irish teams won the Marshall Millennium versus Scotland and the Turnbull Trophy against England. Wales beat Ireland to the Meikle Trophy.
I’m sure all our ICA players are rev’d up and raring to go. The lights go green on Saturday morning at 9am when our men and women play Scotland.
Back row – David H, Johnjo, Bill, David W.
Front row – Eric, Doug, Robin, Jim.
Johnjo’s seniors team played a fun (ha!) bounce game against Robin’s new Scottish senior foursome at Greenacres this afternoon.
Robin, playing with Jim Cannon, Doug Kerr and Eric Richardson, got the win 7-6, but the game went right down to the wire.
JJ, Bill, David W and David H were 5-2 down at one point but engineered a big four to pull 6-5 ahead. The game then went to peels at six all going down the last end.
Robin raised a stone from the front of the house onto the four foot behind cover and Johnjo couldn’t shift it.
Both teams have a tough road ahead to qualify for the worlds but this was a high class fine tuner for them.
This has just arrived from WCF headquarters:
The Slovenian Curling Association will host the European Curling Championships C-Division (ECC-C), its first international curling event, in April.
The event will be held in the Ice Arena Zalog in Ljubljana between 25 April and 1 May 2016.
The ECC-C traditionally took place in October, but was moved to the spring following a decision taken at the World Curling Federation’s Annual General Assembly. This will give the winning teams more time to prepare for the European Curling Championships B-Division which take place in November.
World Curling Federation President, Kate Caithness, said: “The World Curling Federation (WCF) are excited to be taking this qualification event to Slovenia. The Slovenian Curling Association has shown great ambition in developing our sport in recent years and I am in no doubt that the local organising committee will put on a great show for all the athletes and supporters.”
Previously, five national curling championships and four junior curling events have been held in the Ice Arena Zalog, but it is hoped that an international event will play a significant role in the future development of curling in Slovenia and Central Europe.
Gregor Rigler, President of the Local Organising Committee, said: “Slovenia is a relatively new country in the curling family and tries to promote curling in all possible ways. We believe that organising ECC-C will, among other things, help to promote the unique sport of curling and raise its popularity in Slovenia.
“We also wish to be a role model for all the countries participating in the C-Division and give them the courage to organise future competitions. We hope we can catch some attention from potential sponsors, and that the organisation of this championship will help us take steps closers to getting dedicated ice.”
One women’s team and one men’s team from each WCF Member Association in the European Zone may enter, only if they are not competing in the European Curling Championships A or B Divisions.
Two women’s teams and two men’s teams will qualify for the European Curling Championships B-Division in Glasgow, Scotland from 18-26 November 2016.
Marko Kolenc, Director of Sport Municipality in Llubljana, said: “On behalf of Municipality of Ljubljana we will be glad to welcome the European Curling Championships C-Division to the 2016 Green Capital of Europe. Curling is one of the youngest Olympic sports in Slovenia and the speed of its development is amazing.”