ECA CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS - LATEST UPDATE, Saturday 1800

Filed under: Competitions — johnb at 12:33 pm on Saturday, February 2, 2008

Apologies for the delay in getting these results online:

For full reports check out English Curling Form website www.englishcurlingforum.com

MEN

Current standings

Phil Atherton won 5 Lost 1

Andrew Reed 5-1

Michael Opel 4-2

Jamie Malton 3-3

Bruce Bowyer 3-3

Andy Woolston 2-4

Neil Maycock 2 - 5

Sam Fowler 0 - 5 

SCORES

Jamie Malton 8 Michael Opel 4

Neil Maycock 10 Andy Woolston 9

Bruce Bowyer 13 Sam Fowler 4

Phil Atherton 7 Andrew Reed 6 (extra end)

Andy Woolston 10 Jamie Malton 7

Bruce Bowyer 15 Neil Maycock 7

Jamie Malton 9 Bruce Bowyer 8

Michael Opel 10 Phil Atherton 8

Andrew Reed 12 Sam Fowler 2

Andrew Reed 17 Neil Maycock 2

Michael Opel 13 Sam Fowler 2

Phil Atherton 11 Andy Woolston 1

Michael Opel 9 Bruce Bowyer 3

Jamie Malton 11 Neil Maycock 4

Andy Woolston 8 Sam Fowler 7

Andrew Reed 6 Andy Woolston 5

Phil Atherton 10 Jamie Malton 7

Michael Opel 10 Neil Maycock 3

Phil Atherton 10 Bruce Bowyer 9

Neil Maycock 6 Sam Fowler 4

Andrew Reed 9 Jamie Malton 6

Bruce Bowyer 7 Andy Woolston 6

Andrew Reed 10 Michael Opel 9

Phil Atherton 11 Neil Maycock 4

LADIES

Kirsty Balfour 10 Suzie Law 2

Kirsty Balfour 9 Suzie Law 4

Suzie Law 12 Kirsty Balfour 8

 

 

REPEAT TITLES FOR REED AND BALFOUR

Filed under: Competitions — johnb at 10:43 pm on Sunday, February 3, 2008

Andrew Reed and Kirsty Balfour retained their respective titles at the English Curling Championships held at Fentons’ Rink in Kent between 30th January and 3rd February.

Balfour held off a strong challenge from a local team skipped by Suzie Law to take the 5 game rubber by 3 games to 1.

Results:

Balfour 10, Law 2

Balfour 9, Law 4

Law 12, Balfour 8

Balfour 9, Law 6

Winning team: Kirsty Balfour, Caroline Reed, Claire Grimwood, Sarah McVey

The men’s Championships needed a play-off to decide the winner. Going into the last round of games both Reed and Phil Atherton were on 1 defeat, Reed having seen off the challenge of Michael Opel the previous day. A victory for both teams would mean a playoff, but a defeat for both teams would mean that Opel’s record of 5 wins and 2 defeats would entitle him to a part in the play-off also.

Half way through the last session things seemed to be on Atherton’s side - leading Sam Fowler narrowly he was in a better position than Reed who had seen his opponent Bruce Bowyer blank the first 4 ends and then score a total of 5 in ends 5 and 6.

However, Reed had been in similar positions, though maybe not quite so dire, throughout the competition and he fought back to be lying all square before Bowyer’s last stone. There was a choice between a draw to the 8 foot or a strike on the wing. The latter was chosen but the shooter rolled out and Reed breathed again as Atherton had completed a close victory over Fowler by 6-4 and now had to sit and wait for the drama of the extra end to unfold.

A super tap up by Reed with his last stone left Bowyer facing a raised tap back but his stone ran wide and Reed had the win he needed to go into a play-off.

The play-off was really all about Reed as he built up a 7-1 lead and although Atherton fought back to 7-5, he was unable to get any closer and Reed eventually won by 9-5.

Winning team: Andrew Reed, James Dixon, Tom Jaeggi, Andrew Dixon

 

 

Death of Connie Miller

Filed under: Uncategorized — johnb at 9:19 pm on Tuesday, February 19, 2008

CONNIE MILLER

One curler who was closely associated with the growth of English Ladies curling, including the formation of the ECA Ladies branch, was Connie Miller who skipped the English ladies to a bronze meal at the 1976 European Championships.

Connie was 100 last November but unfortunately she died last week and I am grateful to Christine Black for her thoughts on Connie.

“Constance Dorothy Miller was born in Shrewsbury and went to school in Sevenoaks (strange that curling is now taking place not a million miles away at Fentons! ) On leaving School she went to Oswestry Hospital to train as a Physiotherapist and it was there that she met her future husband Alexander (Sandy) Miller who was an orthopaedic surgeon. After they were married they went to live in Glasgow where Sandy introduced Connie to curling! Sandy was a good curler but in a very short time, Connie surpassed him. She was a member of Glasgow Ladies and won many competitions and trophies. She went on one of the earliest tours of the Ladies? Branch across the Pond.

Sadly, Sandy died in 1954 and in the 60s Connie moved back to England to help her sister Muriel (Mu) to look after their aged parents who lived in the Isle of Wight. When they died, Connie bought a house in Sidlesham in Sussex and Mu moved in with her. With all the Surrey and Sussex farmers living nearby and curling thriving at Richmond Connie soon brought her expertise to bear and was the only female member of the Province of London who was allowed to skip!!!

When a team from Preston entered the European Championhsips in 1976, it was necessary to find a ladies’ team to go as well. Connie bravely rose to the challenge and took three very raw members (in terms of big competitions) with her to Berlin. The rest is history as Connie’s rink came home with a bronze medal. Connie was a scatterbrain and contrived to leave her handbag on the bus that took us to the airport for the return flight and it was left to the then President of the Ladies’ Branch of the Royal Club, Chris Gardiner, to bring it back!

On frequent trips to Stranraer, she was to be found reading the wrong signs on loo doors and going into the gents! We had lots of fun times with her and she had a marvellous talent for a total recall of games, shots etc. that she or her rink had played going back years. She was truly a marvellous skip but sadly, she was unable to pass on her wonderful knowledge to others as she would have been a great coach. “

I only played with Connie once, during my first experience of English curling at Streatham Ice Rink in 1982, when she was a sprightly 75! Like most young men I was aghast when I was told in no uncertain terms that an elderly lady would be my skip that night but it soon became apparent that she was no fool and we won quite comfortably.

The funeral will not be held for a week or so as mambers of her family are abroad but I will post details here id anybody is interested.
_________________
John M L Brown
Secretary
English Curling Association