Loch Fleet challenged by new Brora rink
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KEITH Stewart’s Loch Fleet rink are the front runners in the Province League championship race but emerging as serious challengers for the Sutherland Cup are a revitalised Brora rink after beating the reigning league champions in Round 2.
Stewart faced a weakened North Highland Curling Trust rink skipped by the Province match Secretary Richard MacKenzie (Tain) who was without Kinlochbervie’s David de Boer and called into league action for the first time to play lead stones for him was Alan Sangster. Sangster, is a product of the Come & Try evenings and made his competitive début at the previous weekend’s bonspiel before getting a tough learning experience in the league.
The Loch Fleet curlers dominated the early ends of play and were soon in a shots ascendency on their way to a 9-2 result.
Meanwhile league champion Nigel Murray also gave a first league run out to another new curler, Muriel Mann, but she got a softer introduction when she saw her Skip make three singles over the first three ends.
But Brora’s new Skip, Neil Murray, made his first score with a single in end four then changed the course of the game with four shots in the next end to move to an eventual 7-5 win over the champions from Rogart.
Caberfeidh’s Hugh Mackay, although relinquishing his Skip’s role in the Ross-shire Province Leagues, has retained his Skip’s position for the North Highland Curling Trust’s first rink and the former Sutherland champion has a strong backing this season in Killearnan Skip, Neil Gillies, and his Killearnan team mate, Alan MacDonald.
Kinlochbervie’s Angela De Boer completes the line up and with a triple and quadruple count they swept to a 9-4 win over Locheye’s Alan Mackenzie.
Dornoch’s new skip Stuart Gardiner picked up his first points thanks to a final end triple to turn around his game 7-6 against Alness’s Coreen MacRae and with another winning score was Locheye’s Douglas Gordon who took advantage over the Young Farmer’s rink to register a 10-1 result.
Province League Results: Round 2 - D Gordon (Locheye) 10, A Munro (RSYF) 1. H Mackay (NHCT) 9, A Mackenzie (Locheye) 4. N Murray (Brora) 7 N Murray (Rogart) 5. R Mackenzie (BHCT) 2 K Stewart (Loch Fleet) 9. S Gardiner (Dornoch) 7 C MacRae (Alness) 6.
