Sunday 15 September 2013

Wait for it.........................

Well, It has been a long time in coming (four and a half months to be exact) but Ballindalloch is back online and soo to be back on the ice.  The Moray Leisure Centre opened for curling last Monday afternoon and I poped in to see if I could still maintain my balance and delivery a stone ( I did both, just! although we wont mention where the stone actually stopped)

MLC ice rink,  I wonder how many weeks before the house is a blur?!

The rink has had its annual make over and looks pretty good, as does the ice.  If the ice staff can keep the conditions to the standard experience last week then I'm sure there wont be many complaints (even if the price of a game has gone up to £11 a player)

Ballindalloch again have three rinks playing in the Moray Province East divisions.   Gordie Kennedy and his rink of Steve McGingle, Ryan Mackenzie and Tony Duncan will no doubt be in the running again this season in Division 1, having come so close to winning a second top league title.  Competition is fierce though with Steve Rankin, Neil Durno, Gav Nicol and Kenny Oswald, all previous winners, aiming to add to their over sized glass winners trophy collections!

Lynn Scott and her team are back for a crack at Division 3.  Having played so well in the first half of last season before utter melt down after Christmas led to a brush with relegation, they will be looking to challange this time around.  The task will be no easier though as both Mike Macdonald and Alistair Maltman will be expecting to bounce straight back to Division 2. 

Stuart Mackenzie, off the back of a great season in Division 5 is scaling the leagues again, having already skipped his way through the leagues in the past.  As with Team Scott he will have a good chance but there are a few tough teams, even down in Division 4. Andy Cameron and Douglas Howie, who both pulled out of Division 1 two seasons ago, are tough competion for any team!

League play doesn't get underway until the first week in October,  good luck to all the teams, Good Curling.