Alness keep cool to bury Brora in curling's Province League
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ALNESS skip John McHarg remains at the top of the Province League after Monday night’s second round games.
With ex-skip Bob Baxter returning to the line up and joining Russell Mackay and Mike Stankie, their opposition in round two was Brora, last season’s KO Cup winners skipped by Roy Watson.
It was expected the Brora rink would end McHarg’s run but the Alness curlers shocked Brora with a tremendous start. Two opening end singles followed by a steal of two and the points were secured with a count of four in end four. Watson’s token response were a couple of singles in the final two ends as they were buried 8-2.
The two Locheye skips Alan MacKenze, the defending champion, and Richard Mackenzie also have full points following their expected second wins. The champions powered their way past the North Highland Curling Trust (NHCT) second skip Neil Gillies 8-1, Gillies’s single count coming in the first end.
Mackenzie was every bit as impressive when he lost only one single in end six to send the Dornoch curlers home with a 9-1 drubbing.
Duncan Clark, NHCT’s first skip, got their first point of the campaign after sharing a five-shot peel with Rogart’s Nigel Murray.
Murray was in control of a three-shot lead through end four but singles over the final three ends of play by Clark’s outfit secured a point.
Two clubs remain pointless after two games. Alan Munro and his Ross-Sutherland Farmers going under to Helen Lyon’s Loch Fleet 6-3 and Dornoch’s Sue Gardiner, still allowing Ian Mackay to skip, who were beaten by MacKenzie.
