The composition of the Duns team to enter this event was a bit last minute as the organiser, Robert Lamont, had been ill and almost forgotten about it till the preceding weekend.
The team for the first match against June Swan’s rink of Coldstream comprised Ian Thomson (who could only play on the Wednesday), Robert Lamont ( who could not play on the Thursday) Helen Forbes , and Colin Jeffries who could not play on the Friday. CJ told Robert not to worry about the subsequent days as we would probably not get past round 1.
Things started as expected with Coldstream racing to a 5-0 lead (it could well have been more) after 3 ends. However it was all change at the 4th end where good play by Duns saw a possible 8 ender come into play. With skip stones to come Coldstream only had one stone in the house and it had a Duns stone locked on to the front of it. All the other Duns stones were in the house. June’s draw to the house was tentative and short. CJ drew another in guarding the left side. June opted for a draw to the right but was a bit heavy and flicked off her previous stone but entered the house far right and guarded which probably saved her. CJ tapped out her other shot by hitting his own locked stone and took a 5.
That end unsettled the opposition rink and it perked us up. After 6 ends we led but a missed draw by CJ at the 7th meant we entered the last end 8-7 down. A great draw to the button by Ian early doors meant that we set up a series of blocks which the opposition tried to remove. With her last stone, June played a magnificent draw round the blockade to bite the pot lid but we still lay 1 shot. CJ followed her in with a nicely drawn tap back to give us a 2 and the game.
Our next game was against a good Lees side who had put a fairly strong Ayton team to the sword. Ian and Robert dropped out and Brian Taylor and Margaret Isaac came in. It was a close game where we seemed to be running away with it at one stage but hung on to run out winners by one shot. We were now in the semi finals. CJ got Jim Clark (who was in a defeated Lammermuir rink ) to cover an Auld Yins game for him on the Friday thus allowing him to skip in the semi, much to Helen’s relief as we had used up our quota of reserves and she would have had to skip otherwise.
In the semi we had to face a strong Foulden rink skipped by the redoubtable Michael Sutherland ( multiple English champion and multiple English senior champion). Some really good curling in the early ends on both sides led to 3-3 at the half-way stage but thereafter Duns pulled away with some excellent play to win 10-4. Now the Final against Ayton who had beaten Jim Cullen and co from Earlston.
The bookies were probably giving 100-1 against Duns as we took the field against Ayton skipped by Rhona Fleming whose world champion husband Tommy played 3rd. Another nervy start by both sides saw the score 1-1 after 3 ends with Ayton throwing a last stone through the house at end 2 to keep the hammer . We should have lost a 3 at end 4 but Rhona caught a front guard and chipped us in for a 1. Things did not go well for Ayton subsequently.
We took end after end finally winning 11-1.
Weel done the dingers. You beauties.