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Saturday, April 02, 2011

Saturday at Dumfries

More international visitors to the Dumfries Junior International. This team from the Netherlands are no strangers to the Ice Bowl. L-R: Diederick Bontenbal, Carlo Glasbergen, Floyd Koelewijn and Jaap Van Dorp.

Team Lammie from Stranraer was skipped by Scott Wilson.

Sweden's Lisa Burestad

Those who follow the blog will know that I always try and caption all my photos with some indication of who is in them.

And you will know I occasionally/often get the names wrong!

No excuse though for getting the chief umpire's name wrong yesterday. Apologies to Stuart Robertson. Here he is again, working hard.

The Norwegian team. L-R: Gaute Nepstad, Peder Siksjo, Marius Hole, Markus Skogvold.

Katie Wright skipped a team from Stranraer with Jodie Milroy, Lauren Morgan and Jenni Cannon.

Here's Katie again!

And Katie is saying to her third player Jodie Milroy, "Don't know about you Jodie, but I think we're in deepest ....!"

Lauren Morgan

Jenni Cannon. I had another 'I know your mum' moment today. Jenni is the daughter of former Scottish Champion Christine Cannon (nee Allison).

Ezra Wiebe, Linde de Wit, Wouter Gosgens, Shirley Miog aka Team SWELL from the Netherlands.

Linde is in the head, as Grant Hardie and Hammy McMillan watch behind.

Team Hardie have the SWELL team in difficulties in the last end!

Win or lose, always handshakes at the end of the game.

As promised here is the lineup of the Swedish girls from Gothenburg. L-R: Almida de Val, Tilde Vermelin, Felicia Johansson, Camilla Schnabel and Greta Aurell.

Euan Dagen is delivering with Peter Dagen and Angus Bennie ready to sweep. Ross McIsaac is in the head.

Here's another future star. Recognise her? This is eleven years old Ellie Hamilton. Her sister Claire won gold at the Winter Universiade this season, and is also the current Scottish Champion as third in the Anna Sloan team. Ellie is playing with Chris Howat this weekend.

Ryan Hill and William Green, seen sweeping here, were playing with Chalmers Porteus and Cameron Dobbie, one of the local Dumfries teams taking part in the competition.

And here's William with his grandfather Billy Green. William - star of the weekend, and star of the future. Move over Ross Whyte!

Talking of Ross.... Here he is, with Sophie Jackson and Laura Ritchie ready to sweep.

"The long and the short of curling." Ross Whyte skipped against Stuart Marshall today in a game that was tied going down the eighth. Ross swung his last around a short guard, then Stuart drew the four foot for the win. Great stuff!

The organisers of the Junior International have always tried to involve all the competitors throughout the weekend. The top team in each group play the main event, the second team in each section compete in the Challenge event, and the fourth in each section go for the 'Pot Lid' trophy.

So what are the players above waiting for? They all were in teams which finished third in their sections. And they were to be guinea pigs in a new speed curling event.

Here is organiser, and local development officer Graham Sloan, explaining the rules! These involved a series of eight-minute games. No strikes allowed, one stone per player per end.

Each player must have played within ten seconds. Here Allison Whyte is one of the timers! Only fifteen seconds is allowed between ends. Game finishes on 8 minutes and the score stands with the stones in the head then. You carry your scores forward through the games - shots scored ends, shots +/-.

Of course it was a riot! And great fun. Herewith some of the speed curling guinea pigs! Great to see a junior team from Kelso at the Junior International. Cameron Bryce is encouraging his front end of Lesley Kerr and Thomas Fleming as Neil Sutherland comes out to join in the sweeping.

In the main event, here are the eight skips/teams through to Sunday's quarterfinals: Grant Hardie, Hollan 1, Swiss-Scots, Ross Whyte, Andrew Neilson, Scott Wilson, Bruce Mouat, Lauren Baxter.

Photos © Skip Cottage