The MacLeod Cup       2009-10 MacLeod Cup Winners with Kenneth MacL [L to R] Bob B (skip), Kenneth MacL, Mary F (2nd), Paul R (3rd), Moira J (Lead)     2009-10 MacLeod Cup Runners-up [L to R] Ian P (3rd), Sandy D (Skip), David R (Lead). Missing is Fiona E (2nd)

The MacLeod Cup is played for annually between the two parishes in Bridge of Weir - Houston parish and Kilbarchan parish.  It is the oldest trophy in the club, and was presented to the club by Alexander McLeod of Burngill (Kenneth MacLeod's grandfather) in 1892, when outdoor conditions were just right for the local derby between Norlanders (Houston parish) and Soulanders (Kilbarchan parish).   This season's bonspiel, 118 years after the original match, took place at Greenacres on the cold and frosty day of Saturday, 20/2/10.  The format for the bonspiel consists of 2 four-end games for each team against the opposite parish.  The teams are listed at the foot of the report.  In the 5:30 p.m. session, Bob's team representing Houston parish took on Sandy D's team representing Kilbarchan parish, which resulted in a hard fought 3 - 3 "peel" (draw) .  Meanwhile on the adjacent sheet, Ron A's Houston team took on Ken G's Kilbarchan team.  Ken's team gor the better of Ron's team, winning 4 - 2.  So at the end of the first round, Kilbarchan parish were leading 7 - 5 against Houston parish. In the second session at 6:35 p.m., Ron's team recovered from their defeat in the first round to beat Sandy's team 5 - 4, while Bob's team were firing on all cylinders, and produced an emphatic 5 - 0 victory over Ken's team.

Sunset at Greenacres 20/2/10       Dinner at Greenacres after the bonspiel         President Eileen A gives her speech after the dinner

So at the end of play, Houston parish was declared as the winning parish with a total score of 15 - 11 against Kilbarchan parish, thus avenging their defeat by Kilbarchan in Season 2008-09. The highest up skip in the victorious parish was Bob B's with a +5 shots difference, while Sandy D was highest up skip for Kilbarchan with a -1 shots difference. After the matches, the teams adjourned to the bar, where the Greenacres staff served a meal well up to their usual excellent standard (your reporter particularly enjoyed the beef olives, and he unreservedly recommends it to the club should it appear on the menu again).  After the dinner, President Eileen A thanked the honorary president Kenneth Macleod and his wife Sheila for presenting the trophy to the winners, and remarked that it was a pleasure to see that century-old link still represented at the bonspiel by the MacLeod family.  The evening then finished with happy reminiscences of times past.

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