View from the point back to Stranraer - Thursday 2/4/09       [L to R] Sheila D, Ken G, and Florence W in the bar before dinner - 2/4/09.       Out on the cliffs at Portpatrick - Saturday 4/4/09.       The old church tower, Portpatrick 4/4/09       The teams line up before the final       Paul's Sunday morning breakfast "kipper" arrives!

Having finished as runners-up in the final on 8/3/09 of the Tennent's Caledonian Brewery Weekend at Stranraer, Paul R's Team (Paul [Skip], Ken G [3rd], Florence W [2nd], and Jane P [lead]) were invited back to take part in the Stranraer Final Weekend.  Jane was unable to make the weekend, so club member Sheila D took her place. Thursday 2nd April dawned bright, clear, and warm, as the team made their separate ways to Stranraer.  An easy run down the A77 in good conditions with relatively little traffic and fine views across the Clyde estuary made for an enjoyable journey.  The foursome met in the North West Castle hotel bar in the evening, and were then served with a superb dinner in the hotel restaurant (terrific steak).  A pleasant evening followed in the bar, chatting to the other competitors.  There were 6 sections in the draw, each of 4 teams., and Paul's team found themselves in Section C. Friday started foggy, and it remained foggy for most of the day.  A leisurely breakfast was followed at 10:30 by the first match in Section C against Robert Anderson's team on sheet 1.  The sheet turned out to be tricky, with a fall towards the side wall, except sometimes.  The Anderson team mastered this fairly quickly, and played almost faultlessly, but Paul never got to grips with it at all.  His team were well and truly trounced, by the biggest deficit score in Paul's curling career.  (Ply him with drink, and he might reveal the gory details.)  After a fine buffet lunch, the team spectated at the 2:30 p.m. session, before taking to the ice again at the 4:30 session.  This time, they found themselves on sheet 4, and were pitted against Susan Smith's team.  Unlike the morning session, they got to grips with the ice, and played well against Susan's team, eventually triumphing 10 - 7.  Another excellent dinner awaited the teams in the evening, and the day ended with new-found friends and the odd drink or two in the bar. It should never be said that the weather in Scotland is consistently bad.  Thursday had been gloriously sunny, Friday had been foggy, but Saturday started with overcast skies and squally rain showers.  Three days - three completely different weather patterns.  An early breakfast was necessary to get the Section C teams on the ice for the 9:00 a.m. session.  This time Paul's team were up against Keith Dempster's team, in sheet 2.  The sheet played consistently, but the Dempster team turned out to be too strong for Paul's team, and ran out comfortable 12 - 3 winners.  It was clear that Paul's team had not qualified for the quarter finals.

Tranquil harbour at Stranraer - Thursday evening 2/4/09.       Thursday night dinner at the Northwest Castle Hotel - delicious!         The Singing Sands, Portpatrick - Saturday 4/4/09.     Marge Simpson puts in a guest appearance on Saturday night.     Portpatrick harbour - Saturday 4/3/09.     "Waiter, this kipper is distinctly rubbery!" - Sunday 5/3/09.

After lunch, the team drove to Portpatrick for a walk along the cliffs.  They had just reached the top of the cliff steps when a heavy rain squall came in off the sea and set them scurrying back down the steps to seek shelter.  The weather soon cleared, and they were rewarded with a fine walk along the cliffs to the Singing Sands, and then a return via the back streets of Portpatrick (including the ruins of the old parish church, built in 1629) for a beer in the Crown Hotel.  The team arrived back in Stranraer in time to find that the Anderson and Dempster teams had both won against their opponents in their respective quarter-finals, and were drawn to play against each other in the semi-finals on Sunday morning.  Clutching at straws, Paul's team worked out that at a minimum, they would be able to say that they had lost to one of the eventual finalists. Another fine dinner on Saturday evening was followed by dancing in the ballroom, and a late night cabaret featuring many of the curlers who sang songs or played the accordion.  Your reporter, taken in drink, reprised his rendition of "Saltcoats" to the crowd, which seemed to go down well. Sunday saw the team up in time for breakfast, and Paul arrived a little after the other members of his team.  Unsurprisingly, given his predeliction for kippers, he ordered kippers again.  As the two photos above show, he was the victim of an excellent practical joke, set up by his team and the waitress staff.  A good laugh was had by all. After breakfast, Paul's team along with many other spectators settled down in the ice rink bar to watch the semi-finals.  The Anderson vs. Dempster match turned out to be a cracker.  Cagey play saw the 1st end blanked, with Dempster taking a single in the 2nd end, and stealing a further single in the 3rd end to be 2 - 0 up.  Anderson came back with a single shot in the 4th end, then stole a well worked 2 in the 5th end to lead 3 - 2 at the half-way stage.   Dempster came back again with a single in the 6th end to tie the score at 3 - 3.  A terrific 7th end saw Andersen make an amazing triple take-out to lie 4, only for Dempster to make a fine pressure draw to cut Anderson back to 1 shot.  The 8th end resulted in Anderson extending the lead to 5 - 3, but a magnificent double take-out by Dempster in the 9th end tied the score at 5 - 5.  The 10th end was blanked, but Anderson made no mistake with his final draw to the button in the extra end to win the semi-final 6- 5. The Anderson team then went on the win the final, thus allowing Paul's team to say that they did indeed lose in their qualifying section to the eventual winner. Folk then headed for home, after yet another vintage weekend at the Northwest Castle Hotel, Stranraer.

[Click on any photo above to enlarge it - it may take up to 10 seconds to display.]     © Bridge of Weir Curling Club - 2009