Opening Bonspiel

 Our season started last night with a multitude of confused faces on the ice.  Trialing a slight adjustment to
the rules for the bonspiel from the last two years, left Graeme with the only one who really understood what we were doing.  The 'on the fly' team adjustments also caused blank faces, but it all worked out in the end.  

Julia, when she arrived did her best to understand the rules and try to 'game the system' but was destined to fail.

The 'new rules' actually created the same winners as the old ones.

So, it is our first CONGRATULATIONS to the winners, Daniel Peart, Dale Callander, Pam Clark, and Louise Adrain.  (aided by Graeme for two ends!)

So the season starts off as the old season ended, with Daniel taking the honours !

Special mention to Louise, who is new to us this season and despite curling for the first time in five years managed to find her way on to the winning team.  It was also great to see, our 'juniors' Ali and Finlay back for another season, this time as rink members.

We also ran an impromptu 'Draw the Shot' challenge.   Everyone had one go with no sweeping allowed.  Sad to report that of the thirteen competitors, only five managed to find the rings.  Never the less, the winner was Adam Hicks who drew to 12" of the button.  As Adam went home early his prize lollipop was awarded to second placed player Ali Breeze at 19".

A good start to the season, which now stretches ahead of us.  

Season 26/27 - Finishing touches

The ice is currently getting its final polish, with new fancy heads.

First fixture is the Opening Bonspiel on Thrs 8 Oct from 18.00 (2 sessions) Please make sure that you can play or have arranged a sub.  We have a good pool of subs.

Province Competitions - We are still looking for one player to partner with David McKay in the Pairs competition on Sat 24 Oct from 15.30

Waldie Griffiths/Borders challenge.  These are social games and give an opportunity to 'play away' and are followed by suppers.  The games are on 
Friday 18 Dec @ 14.45 - at Kelso Ice Rink and
Sat 23 Jan@ 15.00 -at Murrayfield
If you want to play in one or both, let me know

Knockout Competition - We are still looking for 1 player for the, first round
Sat 28 Nov @ 17.15
If you want to play, let me know

Season 26/27 - and springcleaning

 The Syllabus for Season 26/27 has been added to the FIXTURES tab.

This includes the rinks for the competitions and all the ice dates.

 

Over the next few weeks, I will be bringing the website and other things up to date and ready for the new season.  This is a good chance for you to get all your games in your calendars.  

Julia at the last gasp saloon.

 Congratulations to Julia for taking the Friendship Kettle from Adam in a decider that could have sent the trophy to any one of three teams.  Graeme, subbing for the recuperating John McOmish had the unenviable task of kingmaker, where he could help either team playing or by 'manufacturing' a peel, help his own team take the trophy (and he nearly succeeded).

Julia, playing with New Stones Olivia, and Timothy as well as Daniel were up for the fight. especially when Team Adam stole a 1 in the fifth end for a 5 - 2 lead.  She fought back with a 1 and then a steal of 2 to go into the final end, peels.  (Could Graeme manufacture a blank end in the eighth end? )  The game and title came down to Adam's hammer stone which although on perfect line, just came up short.

Team Mackey edge out the Wyllie squad by 2 ends, Meanwhile the Hicks quartet finished on the same points and ends as the New Stone, but secures third place by the narrow margin of being 3 shots up ! 

So its Congratulations to Julia Mackey (who was devastated to realise there were no pies for this competition), John Good, Rosie Clark and Daniel Peart.  Assisted by Olivia Buchan and Timothy Pooley. 

Friendship Kettle @ 66%

With all teams having now played two of their three games, that have ALL won one and lost one !

Team Julia takes a slender 1 end advantage leaving the other teams being divided by a scant handful of 'shots up'.

All still to play for.  

EL Province Bonspiel

Huge congratulations to our team of Daniel Peart, Simon Rice Mike Wood and David Wyllie who came home with the ELCO Cup, salver and medals for winning the Province Bonspiel.  They cruised to a good victory against the Presidents select team (headed by John Good) and were seeded top of the pile for the second round, where they faced 'The Other Club' aka Haddington, who were only two shots behind.  In a tight match, that was in doubt to the very end, they secured a peel and remained two shots clear of Haddington to take the title and to qualify for next seasons Jackson Trophy.

 

Clean Sweep for Team Peart

Despite the state of his broom Daniel and his team of Dave Wyllie, Simon Rice and Sheena (New Zealand) Munro have completed a clean sweep of the Knockout, Trophy and Shots Competitions.  As a result they have also topped the Peter Allan Shield standings.  Pies a plenty. 

Points 25/26

A new era dawned in this years Points.  

Sharing the ice with 'The Other Club' meant reduced costs and an increased number of players which resulted in a more convivial atmosphere.  It also meant that we played two less exercises than last year (and didn't get off the ice before the bell!) .

It was also great to see three players from our reserves list playing including two of our junior members.  With them playing, what some thought was, annoyingly well ;-)

Anyway, it is a BIG congratulations to newcomer Ali Breeze, who adds the Points Trophy to his Xmas Bonspiel crown. 

President v Vice

Congratulations to the Vice President's Men and Pam, consisting of Mike Wood, Daniel Peart, Graeme Maguire and Pam Clark. 

In the end the scores against the President's team looked convincing, the game however wasn't as one sided as it looked.  The Wood Quartet got off to a good start and after that just fell into a groove with the President's team having to play ever more inventive shots to get round the barricade of guards that both teams kept putting up.

There were a convivial  reflections over Soup and Sandwiches (and complimentary coffee and tray bakes) after the game.

Thirds - Winners

Congratulations to David Wyllie, Dale Callander, Pam Clark and the hybrid Maguire/Wood combo for winning the Thirds.  Following Daniels footsteps they did so with a 100% win record. This could make next season interesting.
 

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year

Hostilities recommence on Thrs 8th January 2026 

 

Thirds at 50%

 At the halfway mark in the Thirds Competition, Team Wyllie has the whip hand with two wins out of two.  The Hicks team is in close attendance, one game and also one end behind and ready to pounce on any slip ups.  Meanwhile The Mackey squad is languishing and it is starting to look like Julia may end up the season 'pie-less'.   Still everything to play for though.

Xmas Bonspiel

Validation from Curl Edinburgh

Another Year, another excuse to embarrass yourself at the annual bonspiel. 

This year featured no less than 3 dragons and 2 unicorns (of undecided gender - wait, do unicorns have a gender?) and other amorphous 'Animals - keeping it weird' taking to the ice.  With no totally new tasks to perform, the whole circus seemed to run fairly smoothly, apart from Mikes 'wild' shot nearly taking out 2 young Crabbie Trophy (schools) finalists, playing on the next sheet. Our own two youngsters, Ali Breeze and Finlay Richardson  were unperturbed by the cruel and unusual ends that they were asked to play and took them in their stride, leaving their mothers having to scramble for a copy of the 'rules' to make head or tails (of which there were at least eight) of the unfolding chaos below.  To be fair, Ali and Finlay already thought that most of us (well me anyway) were fairly mad.

Congratulations to Mike Wood, Graeme Maguire and Ali Breeze, who ran out clear winners ahead of Dale, Gavin and Finlay in second place.  Julia's honking pig, ensured that her team were in last spot. 

Province Pairs

Commiserations to David Wyllie and Graeme Maguire on their results in the Province Pairs.

It was heard said that they never really recovered from a 'Lucky Shot' in the first end of the first game.  Despite not playing badly (in my opinion) they kept the overworked scorers lives easy by failing to score a single shot or end in either of their two games.  It should (perhaps?) be noted that their qualifying games were against the eventual winners of both the High and Low Roads. 

Indoor Grand Match 2025

Aberlady v the World (but only the part of it that comprises North Scotland)

The Aberlady Team of Mike Wood, John Good, Dale Callander and David Wyllie set off to Lockerbie to take on Bridge of Allan as part of the South of Scotland Team.  After a good afternoons curling and socialising they came away with an 8 - 5 win 

 East Lothian Province Clubs sent 8 teams to Ice Rinks in Lockerbie, Greenock, Kinross, Forfar and Edinburgh to compete in the 2025 Indoor Grand Match, representing the South of Scotland.  Everyone involved had an enjoyable and mostly successful day of curling and socialising.

The various Clubs scores were:

East Linton 1          8 - 3  Verses Kippen

East Linton 2          5 - 7 v Broomhall 

Yester                      6 - 4  v Broomhall 2

Markle                    9 - 5 v Forfar Young Curlers

Athelstaneford 1    7 - 7 v Clunie

Athelstaneford 2     7 - 6 v Forfar 2

Aberlady                 8 - 5 v Bridge of Allan

Haddington            20 - 3 v Oban 

That is a total of six wins and one peel and one loss.   The South were overall winners with a margin of 69 shots up.  East Lothian Province Teams provided almost 50% of that winning margin, with a cumulative score of 34.

 

Finally Congratulations go to the Haddington team, including Graeme for managing to steal an 8 in their fourth end against the Oban team in Greenock ! 

 

An 8 Ender is achieved !

 

 

Trophy Winners

 Congratulations were due to two teams last night.

Well done to Daniel Peart, David Wyllie, Simon Rice, Rosie Clark, Sheena Munro and last night Tim Pooley.  They have captured the Trophy with with one game in hand.

 Meanwhile, on the other sheet, Team Wood/Maguire secured their first win against a very able New Stones Team, who have all agreed to sign up as reserve players. 

An Aberlady Record ?

The opening game of regular season saw 'probably' a new low for the club in its 165 year history !

It was the lowest average age of any game certainly in my memory, and Adam and Julia were not the reason!  Of the eight players on the ice were our three new U17 reserves who in their second outing seem to have the line and length of our main players.

Anyway the game itself was, after two ends, with a score of 7 - 0 against,  looking like it was going to be a long night for the Maguire squad.  It was however a game of two halves and helped with a 4 of their own in the sixth end, and a yell of "Game On" from their skip they entered the final end only 2 shots down.  The final end saw them with several stones distributed round the twelve foot.  The two teams then took it in turns to remove the stone nearest the button.  With the final shot of the match Team Mackey misjudged the swing of the ice  and left a two to peel the match 8 - 8.  It was a good game with several classy, and in my case occasionally lucky shots, that seemed to be enjoyed all round.  The injection of youth into our games seems to be bringing out the best of our 'older' members.

Opening Bonspiel

An eventful night.

In the first game Graeme (and Adam - now known as the Two A55holes) took a commanding 4-0 lead against Team Peart.   However a loose final stone from Graeme (We wont discuss whose choice the shot was!) left Daniel with a draw for a 5 and the win.  Which he duly made.

The second pitted Team 'A55holes'  against Team Mackey.  (I think someone had told Julia that there weren't any pies on offer this year).  Again, the Maguire squad took the first three ends and another 4-0 lead, leaving everyone to think that lightening couldn't strike twice, could it ?  Julia played a risk it all shot with her final stone, which missed and left Team Maguire with the win.

The final game meant that Daniel had to win or peel to take the trophy, however all did not go to plan, with Julia taking a 5-0 lead after two ends.  Graeme an Adam, meanwhile were rehearsing their winners speech.  On a straight piece of ice, Team Julia managed to miss a 'through the port' hit FOUR times in succession and surrendered 4 shots.  The final end, Julia was heard to think, who do I want to win (As she now couldn't).  With Daniel getting a stone buried, Julia was unable to winkle it out with the last stone of the tourney.  This left Daniel with a peel and together with his last end win in game one, the winners. 

Meanwhile Graeme and Adam were trying to work out, having won seven ends out of eight, why they were relegated to runner up spot.

It was a fun evening and great to meet the Breeze Boys (Ali and Joey), our new junior subs, who were showing some of the older hands what this curling game was all about !

Congratulations to Team Peart.  Daniel was assisted by David Wyllie, Simon Rice and Rosie Clark. 

Province Games

The draws for Province Competitions have been added 

Syllabus

 The 25/26 syllabus (as at 28-8-25) has been added to the fixtures tab.