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However, they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by losing a horrendous 5 in the last end, to go down 6 - 8. Meanwhile George's team - George E (Skip), Fiona E (3rd), Neil A (2nd), and Eileen A (Lead) competed against Sandy Nelson's team. They struggled to find form, eventually losing 4 - 10.
The second round for the A section started at 2:00 p.m., after a superb buffet lunch. Sheila's team were pitted against D. Burt's team. During the 4th end and at 1 -3 down, Alaister F lost his footing, and fell heavily on the ice, winding himself in the process. The match stopped as Alaister was helped to the side of the rink. Thankfully, although he took no further part in the match, he recovered well, and was back to his usual self by the evening. Meanwhile his team played on with 3 members, and fought back to tie the score in the 4th end at 3 - 3. Solid defensive play by their opponents for the remaining ends saw Sheila's team eventually go down 4 - 6.
The second round for the B section started at 4:00 p.m. The Schenkel system used for the competition will match teams closest in the league to each other (unless they have already played each other), so this resulted in Paul's team playing against George's team. At last, a Bridge of Weir victory was guaranteed! Consistent play by Paul's team resulted in a 8 - 4 victory over George.
So at the end of play on Saturday, Paul's team was sitting on 2 points, with George's and Sheila's teams yet to score.
Saturday night produced another excellent North West Castle dinner. Adjourning to the ballroom, the company enjoyed a pleasant evening, although not quite managing to get as far as dancing to the band.
The third round started for the B section at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. Paul R took on Bill Gibson's team from Cambusnethan, and found them really hard going, eventually losing by a disappointing 1 - 9. Meanwhile, George's team were matched against J Thomson's team, and in a close match were a little unlucky to go down 4 - 6.
In the A section session at 11:00 a.m., Sheila's team, looking for their first victory, started brightly, leading 6 -1 after 3 ends. They then undid their good work by dropping 3 shots in the 4th end and a further 2 shots in the fifth end, to tie the score at 6 - 6. A well played 6th end saw the Bridge of Weir team take 4 shots to lead 10 - 6. Their opponents could only make a single shot at the final end, to give Sheila a 10 - 7 victory. Unfortunately repeating the club's performance from last year, no Bridge of Weir team had qualified for the semi-finals.
So after another superb buffet lunch, most members headed back home with no trophies, but with memories of yet another great weekend at Stranraer.
Meanwhile, George, Fiona and Paul headed off for Portpatrick. An overcast sky detracted little from a very enjoyable walk along the cliff top toward the "Singing Sands", and a return for a drink at the Crown Hotel on the Portpatrick harbour front. They too then headed for home, happy and content.
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selected the 3 teams to compete in the competition. Teams were chosen to be skipped by George E, Paul R, and Sheila D. As in last year's competition, there were only two sections, but this time both sections had a full complement of 8 teams. Sheila's team was allocated to section A, while George's and Paul's teams found themselves in section B. The rest of the evening passed very pleasantly in the bar, with remeniscences of times past, and anticipation of the matches to come that weekend.
