This year’s dinner was very well attended with members from Giffnock and Drystanes combining for an extremely companionable and enjoyable evening.
Highlights of the night? No half-full bottle prizes and President Craig collecting the wooden spoon! Earlier in the evening, our devoted Secretary, Alan Smith, received an Honorary membership of the club to unanimous approval.
President Craig responded in generous fashion to the jeers at winning the “Spoon” by attempting to poison all of the members with some questionable Scandinavian alcohol!
All in all, a joyous evening which saw the club in great spirits.
We were delighted to welcome our friends from the East, Broughty Ferry Curling Club, for a return match after our visit there last year.
The match was instigated following discussions with our Past President Steve Malloy who moved through to ‘The Ferry’ a couple of years ago and joined the local curling club.
After last year’s defeat at Dundee Ice Rink, we were eager to balance the books. Our team of Craig Thomson, Sandy Halliday, Alan Smith and John Duthie (of Drystanes), a welcome late addition due to a call-off, took an early lead but were pegged back on some difficult ice and were lying 1 down at the 6th end. An unfortunate slip by Broty’s skip, Steve Malloy turned the game round and Giffnock entered the final end 2 ahead. An attempt to defend a winning position with a guarding stone failed and Steve, with the final stone of the afternoon, was able to play a fine draw into the house and take two. Spontaneous applause greeted this terrific shot (at least in Steve’s mind) and the skips shook hands on a peeled match.
The Broty team of Steve, Alastair Scott (Match Secy), Alys Esslement (President) and Craig Smith (Newbie) were regaled with stories of the history of Giffnock over a fine meal afterwards. Unsurprisingly, the “half bottle” incident was raised as was a protest from our own Alan Smith at the opposing team’s Secretary attempting to pinch his stick.
The Broty team were delighted to receive gifts of ties and pins from Secretary Alan, and thanked the club profusely for their great generosity. The return match is already in planning with a suggestion of meeting at a halfway venue such as Kinross. We all look forward to it.
We held another successful Inter Club Bonspiel on Tuesday night with our guests this year being teams representing Cathcart Castle, Pollok and XX Club. The ice at Greenacres was very fast and with some big swings so some – like your dear secretary – had an interesting night!
After six ends of play the winning guests were Pollok and the Giffnock winners team Fergus Corbett. Below are photos showing President Craig presenting the trophy and the fine wine prizes. Craig thanked Sandy Halliday for all his organising of the night and surprised Secretary Alan Smith with a nice (**full) bottle of malt for all of his efforts in getting the ice and guests sorted out over many years!
(** The bottle being full is now a standard requirement of anyone offering Secretary Alan a bottle of fine malt whisky and will remain a topic of conversation in the club for the many years to come. Thankfully, everyone has forgotten the origin of this story! Whew!)
President Craig mused if this might be the last Bonspiel given many of the Clubs expressed problems in raising teams to play in the event. Fortunately, Giffnock numbers had been boosted this year by Associates John Finlay and Gordon Nicholl re- joining us on the ice again allowing us to field twelve players and hence full teams. Let’s hope we can indeed continue it next season as it’s an important event in our club’s season and history.
A great turnout on Wednesday 10th December for the Club’s annual points competition and Christmas dinner which was held jointly with our good friends from Drystanes.
A special mention for our visitor who travelled from the East – old friend Steve Malloy, now curling with Broughty Ferry CC – and joined us for the competition and meal. It was great to catch up.
President Craig kindly graced the tables with wine, and presented the winners of the Points competition with their trophies – Max McGill, the “stick wizard” who took the Drystanes Trophy and Fergus Corbett, winner of the Jubilee Trophy.
This was followed by an excellent Christmas meal, enjoyed by all.
Our first friendly of season 25-26 and a success for Giffnock letting us take the Kyle Cup against our good friends at Pollok CC. President Craig was the delighted recipient of the trophy,
(Or was it the Craig Thomson Show?) An excellent night was had by the members and guests who attended this year’s AGM and Prizegiving dinner. The AGM saw current Treasurer Ron Griffiths support incoming President Craig Thomson by putting himself forward as Vice President for 25-26 and so president for season 26-27. As Secretary Alan Smith aptly pointed out in an appeal to current and lapsed members, “Our Centenary will be in 2030 and I want to be here and see the club survive to celebrate that.” The dinner, as ever, was excellent and was followed by the traditional prizegiving and raffle. Entertainment was provided by our new Makar, Ron Griffiths, with some pithy Scottish poetry (including some original works in “praise” of President Craig) and a fiercely fought table top curling competition. Many thanks to retiring President Stuart Pollok, Match Secretary Sandy Halliday and Secretary Alan Smith for pulling it all together.
On Monday 17th March, the club visited sunny Dundee after an invitation by past member Steve Malloy to play against his new curling club, Broughty Ferry. It was a very close game, only settled in the final end. Giffnock took a 2 point lead into that end only to see Broughty Ferry grab a 3 and win the match. The team was treated to an excellent meal afterwards at the nearby Landmark Hotel. The Giffnock team members – Craig Thomson, Sandy Halliday, David Thompson and Bobby Corbett – were each presented with Broughty Ferry CC ties as a memento of their visit. We look forward to inviting Broughty Ferry through to Greenacres next year… and our revenge!
On Tuesday 3rd December, in our annual Friendly with Pollok CC our team of Skip John Finlay, Sandy Halliday, Stuart Pollok and Alan Smith retained the Kyle Cup with a 5-4 score. It was a very close game going right to the last stone where opposing skip Andrew Henderson’s strike just ran out after contact. Below photo shows Pollok President Andrew presenting the Kyle Cup to our President Stuart for safe keeping until next year. (Now it’s on to our annual Points competition tomorrow night with Associates John and Ken joining us to view the night and enjoy the follow on Christmas Dinner!)
Craig Thomson, Bobby Corbett, Ron Griffiths and Alan Smith formed the team to represent our Club on Tuesday night at Cathcart Castle’s special event marking their 60th Anniversary. We finished mid table after the three two end games and then joined everyone for a meal and celebrations. The brooms were stacked, including Secy Alan’s trusty brush – see photo – mid way for a mulled wine or two having already had canapés before going on the ice. There was a special cake on display cut for everyone to have with their coffee – Alan’s fellow Secretary in Cathcart Castle who he has known from BB days ensured that his piece of cake matched his famous sweet tooth as the attached photo will confirm. All the invited Clubs Secretaries were given a history booklet to mark the event and in reading it, many weel kent faces from the past were noted. Importantly, there was confirmation that in our annual friendlies started in 1986 for the Bob McPhail Trophy since 2001 they have won 12 times to our 10 with one peel.
March 13th saw the annual District Medal competition where rather weirdly Giffnock were drawn at Greenacres against our friends from Cathcart Castle.
Giffnock were represented by Bobby Corbett, Iain Potter , Sandy Halliday and Craig Thomson.
This proved to be a classic game where Giffnock took two at the first but after 5 ends were 6-3 down, largely due to some incredible sweeping by two of the opposition players.
This gave Cathcart Castle terrific control of their shots and reminded me what great sweeping could do.
Giffnock don’t give up though, so we managed to get a two and in the last end stole a single to peel the game 6-6.
Skips stones to the head… Thomson goes first and ends up in the front ring. Cathcart Castle skip underthrows his draw but these ridiculously good sweepers went to work and amazingly got it a few inches further into the head.
Win for Cathcart Castle.
Great game played in a great spirt and highly enjoyable. – President Craig
