It’s not very pleasant when your skipper screams at you because your gripper foot is stuck in the hack causing your stone to hurtle down the sheet, cross the hog-line, get burned while running by a bad sweep, thus disqualifying your perfect hit and roll. Confused? Then you’ve never been curling.
Curling is thought to have started in Scotland around the beginning of the 16th century when our ancestors took to hurling boulders over frozen lochs. Nearly 500 years later the game has evolved somewhat. The vagaries of the Scottish weather have more or less put paid to outdoor curling, although hundreds of clubs took part in a ‘Grand Match’ on Menteith Loch in February 1977. Nowadays, most curling takes place in any one of the 31 indoor ice rinks dotted around Scotland.
The game has much in common with bowling or indeed, marbles — two teams try to place their stones closest to a target while trying to knock away the opposing team’s stones. However,
like most sports, beneath the seemingly simple exterior lurks a rather technical game. Experienced curlers learn to read the ice and adjust the spin of their stones accordingly. The players who frantically sweep the path of an incoming stone, melt the ice, reducing surface friction. Before each match,
the cunnineg named ice-man sprays
water onto the playing surface while walking backwards. The water freezes in droplets so the stones run over them like ballbearings. This has the effect of creating a roaring noise as
the stones roll over, hence the ‘roaring
game’ moniker.
Having had half a millenium to perfect their techniques, the Scots represent one of Britain’s best chances of gaining a gold medal at
the 1998 Olympics in Japan, when
curling becomes an officially
recognised Olympic sport. Keep on
hurling. (Jonathan Trew) European Curling Playdowns,
Lockerbie Ice Rink, 28-3O October.
Events are listed alphabetically by sport, then by day. Sport Listings compiled by Jonathan Trew.
BADMINTON .
Friday 28-Sunday 3D
I Perth Open Bell's Sports Centre. Perth. Information: 0738 5519-17. An entire weekend of shuttlecock bashing as part of the British Grand Prix 'I‘ournamenl.
Glasgow
I Race Days Tuesdays. Thursdays and Saturdays. Shawfield Stadium. Rutherglen Road. Glasgow. There are ten races in each meeting starting at 7.45pm.
. Edinburgh
I Race Days Tuesdays. Thursdays and
Saturdays. Powderhall Stadium.
Beaverhall Road. Edinburgh. Each
meeting includes ten races. starting at 7.30pm. Race programme free with admission.
FOOTBALL '
Saturday 22
PREMIER LEAGUE
I Dundee United V Hibs Tannadice Park. Tannadice Street. Dundee. 3pm.
I Hearts V Aberdeen Tynecastle Park. Gorgie Road. Edinbttrgh. 3pm.
I Celtic V Falkirk Celtic Park. ()5
i Kerrydale Street. Glasgow. 3pm.
I Kilmarnock v Partick Thistle Rugby Park, Kilmarnock. 3pm.
I Motherwell v Rangers Firpark. Motherwell. 3pm.
FIRST DIVISION
I St Johnstone v Raith Rovers McDiarmid Park. Crief Road. Perth. 3pm. I St Mirren v Dundee St Mirren Park. Love Street. Paisley. 3pm.
I Hamilton v Ayr United Douglas Park. Douglas Park Lane. Hamilton. 3pm.
I Ounfennline v Airdrie East End Park. Halbeath Road. Dunf‘ermline. 3pm.
I Stranraer v Clydebank Stair Park. London Road. Stranraer. 3pm.
SECOND DIVISION
I Berwick Rangers v Morton Shieltiettl Park. Tweedmouth. Berwick-uport-Tweed. 3 m.
I East Fife v Stirling Albion Bayview Park. Methil. Fife. 3pm.
I Clyde v Stenhousemuir Broadwood Stadium. Cumbernauld. 3pm.
I Dumbarton V ODS Boghead Park. Miller Street. Dumbarton. 3pm.
I Meadowbank v Brechin Meadowbank Stadiutn. London Road. Edinburgh. 3pm.
Saturday 29
PREMIER LEAGUE
I Celtic v Rangers Celtic Park. 95 Kerrydale Street. Glasgow. 3pm.
I Hibs V Hearts Easter Road Stadium. Albion Road. Edinburgh. 3pm.
I Motherwell v Kilmarnock Firpark. Motherwell. 3pm.
I Partick Thistle v Falkirk Firhill Park. 80 Firhill Road. Glasgow. 3pm.
I Aberdeen v Dundee United Pittodrie
t Stadium. I’ittodrie Street. Aberdeen. 3pm. . 1 FIRST DIVISION Making a clean sweep of it i
I Airdrie V Hamilton Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld. 3pm.
I Clydebank v St Mirren Kilbowie Park. Arran Place. Clydebank. 3pm.
I Dundee v St Johnstone Dens Park. ; Sandeman Street. Dundee. 3pm.
I Ayr United v Stranraer Somerset Park.
2 Tryfield Place. Ayr. 3pm.
I Raith Rovers v Ounfennline Stars Park. ? Pratt Street. Kirkcaldy. 3pm.
SECOND DIVISION
I Brechin v East Fife Glebe Park. Trinity
? Road. Brechin. 3pm.
I Morton V Dumbarton Cappielow Park. Sinclair Street. Greenock. 3pm.
I Stenhousemuir v Meadowbank Ochilview Park. Gladstone Road. Stenhousemuir. 3pm.
I DOS V Derwick Rangers Palmerston Park. Terregles Street. Dumfries. 3pm. I Stirling Albion v Clyde Forthbank
f Stadium. Spinkerse Industrial Estate.
Stirling. 3pm.
i COCA COLA-CUP SEMI-FINALS
Tuesday 25
I Airdrie v Raith Rovers McDiarmid
Park. Perth. Their last two meetings have f been goal-less affairs so a wee bit of
action wouldn‘t go amiss.
Wednesday 26
i I Celtic V Aberdeen lbrox. Glasgow.
Again it was a no score draw the last time
: they met so they should both be hungry
i i l
for the swish of the ball against the net.
Saturday 22
MEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION ONE
I Western v TR Cordonians Auchenhowie.
I Edinburgh University v Grange Pelfermill Playing Fields. Edinburgh. I Watsonians v Edinburgh MIM Myreside. Edinburgh.
I Menzieshill v Kelburne Gussie Park. Dundee.
I Insights lnverleith v Torbrex Wanderers Meadowbank Astroturf. Edinburgh.
MEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION TWO
I OW Clydesdale v Morgan Millerston/Barlia, Glasgow.
I Perthshlre V Stirling McDiarmid Park, Perth. .
I Crangemouth v Hafihead lCl Recreation Club. Grangemouth.
I Pender Uddingston v Stepps West End Park and Uddingston Cricket Club. Bellshill. Glasgow.
I Stronach ADS v Devol Oreenock Rubislaw. Aberdeen.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION ONE
I Royal High Cymnasts v Grange Moray House. Crarnond Campus. Edinburgh.
I Hyndland v Boroughmuir Auchenhowie. I Drove v Edinburgh ladies Gussie Park. Dundee.
I Heriot Watt University v OW Klick Photopoint Crarnond Campus. Edinburgh. WOMEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION TWO
I Edinburgh University v Egllnton Peffermill Superturf. Edinburgh.
Sunday 23
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION TWO
I Aberdeen Don Accord v Melrose Chris Anderson Stadium. Aberdeen.
I Hutcheson’s V Hyndland 2 Helenvale Astroturf.
I Menzieshill v Kelburne Gussie Park. Dundee.
Saturday 29
MEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION ONE
I Orange v Menzieshill Raeburn Place. Edinburgh.
I Torbrex Wanderers v Watsonlans Maryfield Astroturf. Edinburgh.
I Edinburgh University v TR Cordonlans Peffermill Playing Fields. Edinburgh.
I Kelburne v Edinburgh MIM Whitehaugh.
I Insights lnverleith v Western Meadowbank Astroturf. Edinburgh. MEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION TWO
I Stirling v Pender Uddingston Forthbank Stadium.
I Devol Creenock v Crangemouth Battery Park. Greenock.
I Perthshlre v Morgan McDiarmid Park. Perth.
I Stepps v Hazlehead Mount Ham'et. Stepps. Glasgow.
I Stronachs ADS v OW Clydesdale Rubislaw, Aberdeen.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION ONE
I CW Klick Photopoint 2 v Heriot Watt University Stepps Playing Fields.
I Grove v Boroughmuir Gussie Park. Dundee.
I Royal High Gymnast: v CW Klick Photopolnt Moray House. Crarnond Campus. Edinbu h.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION TWO
I Kelbume v Hyndland 2 Whitehaugh. I Aberdeen Don Accord v Egllnton Chris Anderson Stadium. Aberdeen.
I Stepps v Edinburgh University
Helenvale Astroturf.
Sunday 30
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION ONE
I Edinburgh Ladies v Orange Cramond Astroturf. Edinburgh.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR DIVISION TWO
I Menzieshlll V Melrose Gussie Park. Dundee.
I Edinburgh University v Kelbume Peffermill Supcrturf. Edinburgh.
Thursday 3
I Edinburgh Races Musselburgh Racecourse. Musselburgh. Flat racing from the seaside with the first race at 1.10pm.
Saturday 22—Sunday 23 I British Snooker Championships for Disabled People John Spencer Snooker Centre. Stirling.
The List 2| October—3 November I994 61