BEARSDEN CURLING CLUB

(founded: 19th October 1911)

News Summary: Aug 2015 – Apr 2016

President : Jack Steven

Vice President : Simon Blyth

Secretary : Ross Barr

Match Secretary : Iain MacVoy

Treasurer : Campbell Denholm

Elected Committee Members : Alison Barr; Peter Harden: Eilidh Crawford

AGM Friday 15th April 2016

This year’s AGM, Prizegiving and Dinner took place at Douglas Park Golf Club in Bearsden and was attended by 46 members and 7 guests.

President Jack completed his two-year stint successfully and handed the care of the club to incoming President Simon Blyth. Ian Strathdee was appointed Vice- and Campbell Denholm and Ross Barr re-elected as honorary treasurer and honorary secretary respectively.

The Speirs Cup was won by Rink F, convener Ann Strathdee. The Firth Medal, Rink Medal and Frame Cup were all won by Rink A, Convener Valerie Vietch. The Bearsden Bowl was won by Rink, Convener Alison Barr.

Reports on the events of the year are provided below

News and What’sOn (updated 12 March 2016)

  • The annual friendly with Strathendrick will be at Braehead on friday 18th March at 2.20pm. Stevens, Camerons, Reids and McVoys.
  • Simon, Campbell, Peter and Ian Strathdee will to represent BCC at Glasgow Academicals 150th Anniversary Bonspiel on Thursday 31 March.
  • Closing Bonspiel Friday 1st April. There are two sessions - 5.00pm (curling 5.30 and meal at 8.15) and 6.15pm (meal at 6.45 curling at 8.00). Please contact Ross
  • AGM. Friday 15th April. Douglas Park Golf Club.

The Spiers, The Frame, The Rink, The Firth - The action is intense as we approach the climax of our season.

Kinross Weekend 4 to 6 March. Refurbished rink with great ice. This was once again a very competitive and very sociable bonspiel.

Kirkwood Cup 4 March Results of our matches: Bearsden A 7 Helensburgh B 5 and Bearsden B 6 Partick A 10 (including 6 shot penalty against Bearsden). Both matches were good tight games.

2011 Centenary Clubs Bonspiel. Sunday 28 February 13.30, Perth. BCC were represented by Jack and Norma Steven, Neil and Eileen Cameron, Iain Strathdee and Simon Blyth. In a very close competition Weignen were the eventual winners.

Ladies v Gents at Greenacres on Saturday 27 February. No quarter was given in this needle match contested but 16 ladies and 16 gentlemen. Suffice to say the gents won.

Bearsden CC sponsored Team Nielsen from Denmark in the Glynhill Ladies International Invitational Competition.

MacKenzie Crook. Congratulations to the Steven Rink who came from behind to win this prestigeous competition on the final day. Jack, Norma, John and Sally finished on 17 points together with two other rinks and prevailed on ends. Commiserations to the Cameron rink who ended up on 16 points, losing their final match.

BCC v Wheelies, Friendly, Friday 12 Feb. Another very sociable evening providing a close fought match which resulted in a 5 to 4 win for BCC. Our line-up (back row) – Drew Crawford, Ann Livingston, Bill Masterton and David Graham.

Points Competition, Braehead, 31 January. This year the competition was run jointly with the Bearsden Ski Club. Some 24 members of the two clubs competed across 5 disciplines. This is a fun competition and helps players to focus on individual shot making. A very close event was won by Ross Barr by a single point over Gordon Crawford of the Ski Club.

Province Challenge, Glasgow v Dunbartonshire, Saturday 30 January, Braehead. The BCC team of John Macfarlane (skip), Iain Strathdee, Ross Barr and Norma Steven delivered a 5 -3 win to help Dunbartonshire to a 61 – 31 victory over Glasgow.

Pitlochry Weekend Bonspiel 22 to 24 January. Twenty-three curlers and partners ventured north along the A9 to the scenic surroundings of Pitlochry where they stayed in the Greenpark Hotel. The annual trip to Pitlochry is popular for our walkers as well as our curlers. To ensure that social interests were not curtailed in any way our merry band travelled by bus to Perth on Saturday where four teams battled for supremacy in the morning session. In the afternoon we were joined by members of Muthill. The result was very close but when the dust settled the team skipped by Hugh McLean had won by one shot from the teams skipped by Peter Hardern and Iain MacVoy. Hugh’s team was Maureen at three, Iain at two and Helen at lead. As usual a very enjoyable time was had by all!

Magda in her Bearsden Blues

Success comes early in 2016 for Bearsden Curlers - Congratulations to Jack Steven's and his rink on winning the Middle Road in the Greenacres Mens Seniors Curling Day on 7th January. The rink are pictured on the Photos page. Congratulations also to Magda Scott, pictured, who was in the winning rink in the Janie Glen Ladies Bonspiel on 13th January.

Christmas Bonspiel – Saturday 12 December at Greenacres.

Santa arrived at Greenacres with his slider and excellent delivery skills to the amusement of our members. All thirty-two members were festively dressed with jumpers, hats, and plenty of festive attire. Altering positions, and Pot lid rules all added to the fun and sense of occasion. Lots of treats were consumed on the ice, followed by the usual delicious Greenacres fayre finished by traditional mince pies.

Everyone was a winner, however In terms of curling, prizes were presented accordingly.

The Winning Rink was Eilidh Neilson, Ian Strathdee, Anne Reid and Jack Steven. More photographs in the Photo Gallery

Pairs Competition (Sunday 29th November 2015)

The conveners for the competition, Peter Hardern and Eilidh Crawford, would like to thank the twelve players for a spirited competition. They had braved the atrocious weather conditions as they arrived to compete for the J Gordon Robinson Pairs Trophy at Braehead.

The competition was structured around two sections, A and B, each with three pairs teams playing two games of four ends. The top team in each section progressed to a grand final. Winning their places in the final match were Drew Crawford and Valerie Veitch from section A together with Bill Masterton and Norman Smith from section B. Both pairs had played very strongly, winning both of their earlier games.

Congratulations must go to Bill Masterton and Norman Smith who won the Pairs final decisively over four ends with a 4-0 result.

Winners of New Glasgow Trophy

The RCCC New Glasgow Trophy was won by Bearsden Ladies in spectacular style with Valerie's final stone of the match against Glasgow Ladies. The Team were Skip Valerie Browning, Eileen Cameron, Viv Taylor and Joan MacVoy

Stranraer Weekend – 6 – 8 November 2015

A great fun weekend was enjoyed by all at Stranraer participating in the Courvoiseur Mixed Curling Weekend. The three Bearsden rinks began the weekend with an excellent lunch at Souters Inn in Kirkoswald on Friday which set the tone for the weekend.

Despite certain members of our party arriving at the North West Castle in an AA transporter, the mechanics were unable to ensure smooth running of the Bearsden stones. The Bearsden rinks faced stiff opposition in their three games and although they failed to qualify for the finals a very enjoyable weekend was had by all.

Bearsden Curlers successes with the Irish Curling Association

European Invitational Senior Curling Championships – 4 to 7 November 2016

Team Gray (Robin Gray) with skip Peter Wilson, PJ Wilson, Ross Barr and Tony Tierney won the Greenacres European Senior Invitational Championships. The Mens Championship was contested by 18 international teams from throughout Europe. The final was against Anders Westerberg’s Swedish World Senior Rink.

Twelve international teams took part in the Ladies Championship. Team Marie O’Kane with Louise Kerr, Christina Graham and Margarita Sweeney Baird also made the Womens’ final against Christine Cannon’s Scottish rink and ended up runners up.

Congratulations to our two Bearsden Curlers.

ICA Irish Championships - Fyfe Trophy Winners: Thirty two ICA members battled it out at Braehead on Saturday 31 October for the Fyfe Trophy, presented by the Fyfe family to the ICA in memory of John and Isobel Fyfe. President Louise Kerr handed out the medals and Alistair Fyfe did the honours for the Fyfe family by presenting the handsome trophy and gold medals to Bill Gray and his team of Ross Barr, Isla Kinnear and Margarita Sweeney-Baird.

INDOOR GRAND MATCH – SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER 2016

Over 2000 curlers took part in the battle of North of Scotland versus South of Scotland on Saturday 24th October 2015. The Indoor Grand Match is a spin off event based on the traditional Grand Matches which are held on a frozen loch when temperatures and ice conditions permit. The indoor version was initiated in the year 2000 to celebrate the millennium and due to its success has continued every five years since.

The event got underway at 10am with seventeen ice rinks across Scotland hosting the 2,376 curlers competing at this year’s event. At Murrayfield, IGM HQ, the artillery unit at Redford Barracks signalled the start by firing Edinburgh Castle’s one o’ clock gun from the venue’s car park.

As part of the North team, Bearsden CC played against Port Glasgow CC at Braehead Curling Rink. Jack and Norma Steven, John and Sally Macfarlane represented Bearsden CC. At the start of each session the curlers were piped onto the ice, photos taken, then four ends were played. At the end of the first four ends the brooms were stacked and refreshments in the form of “Clyde Steamers” were taken, then play resumed. Bearsden won their game 10 – 4. A meal was then served and mementoes of the day, including a Lee’s Print of the 1849 Grand Match, were given to all competitors.

The South of Scotland were crowned winners of the 2015 Indoor Grand Match with a 2154-1928 shots result over the North.

OPENING BONSPIEL AT BRAEHEAD – FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2016

Two rinks represented Bearsden at the Braehead Opening Bonspiel on 11 Friday September.

Our rinks comprised of Jack and Norma Steven, Ian Strathdee, Jacqui Barr, Margarita Sweeney-Baird, Ann Livingstone, Nick Walton, Valerie Browning. For the first time we had a combined BCC and Bearsden Ski Club rink made up by David Wright, Ross Barr, Drew and Eilidh Crawford.

The evening included complimentary drinks on arrival, team draw shot challenge, quiz and fun prizes.

A very socialable and enjoyable start to the curling season!