Province Division 1 G.Kennedy vs A.Duncan

Akin to the first game of the season Ballindalloch managed to just field three players to start their 4th 
Provence League game of the season against Abby Duncan.  Ryan "Speedy" Mackenzie managing to 
donate the opposition 2 points to go with the possible 3 he accrued getting to the rink!!!!!! Gordie
Kennedy was making an unscheduled return to the and just about managed to get the sympathy vote
with his pathetic leftie handshakes at the start of the game.
 
Whether that sympathy spilled into the game is hard to say but a series of good draws by Tony Duncan, guards by 
Ryan and Steve McGingle and deft tap backs by Gordie were rewarded my a string of wrecks and misses from
their Fochabers based opponents.  The resultant 3 at least got rid of the initial handicap.  The following end was
a bit more of the same with all the Ballindalloch boys playing their shots to perfection.  Pick of the bunch were two
back to back draws by Steve, or John Wilson's raise of a Ballindalloch stone onto a Fochabers counter!  Poor 
sweeping almost cost the Ballindalloch boys the end as a guard wasn't swept and lat short enough to require removal,
but Abby Duncan failed to capitalise on the error and hit and rolled out to leave four Blue counters.
 
The next end had some superb shot-making by both side and the one was forced. In the fourth Ballindalloch played 
some stunning shots to set a big end only to see John Wilson demolish all their hard work with a stunning triple.  It 
didn't stop however Ballindalloch conjuring up a barrier weight tap back for the Duece.  9-3 at the half way point.
 
End Five saw steady play from both sides and again the single was forced. Six saw a few unforced errors creep in 
and the high shot making averages slip for Ballindalloch but the end swung back their way with a draw round cover 
by Gordie, A miss from Abby and the two taken very gratefully with another identical draw. 11-4 after 6
 
It was a stunning end to watch and be a part of in the penultimate end.  Guards, draws, hit & rolls, freezes were all 
executed to near perfection by the Ballindalloch front end and Steve McGingle made a superb draw round into cover
and only just failed to shot.  Gordie's "delivery" to try to execute the tap back more resembled a dying swan than a
ballet slider. somehow it ended up as a guard though and that again forced the single.  So down the last and the boys 
did their level best to manufacture defeat from the jaws of victory. after a promising start a series of misses and a final
failed attempted tap back from Kennedy gifted a two back to the opposition.  11-7 the final tally then and limp leftie
handshakes from the Skip to finish the night.  A job well done to set up a 1 v 2 clash against Buckie next week.  A 
continuation of this form could see a cracker of a game, or a repetition of the granny humping that was handed out 
last game last season.  Time will tell........stay tuned for another thrilling instalment of.......

Thanks to Gordie for the match report.