Glasgow I Defends SSS Title - SSS League Update Round 7

Yesterday was a big day for Glasgow I (Ben Fowler (S), Jim Whittle (V/S), Peter Dagen and Andrew McCluskey) going up against Strathclyde 1 in the final round of the SSS Curling League at the Dewar's Centre in Perth.

Both Strathclyde teams, unable to win the league, were in an all-out battle for second place, with Strathclyde 2 facing off against current 2nd place RGU. An RGU win, combined with a Glasgow I loss could be enough to topple Glasgow I from the top-spot too. And with an unblemished 6-0 record going into the final round of play, Glasgow I would be playing their hardest to try and manage a perfect 7-0 record to win the league.

The game opened with a slightly slack start and Strathclyde gained a steal of one in the first end, then forcing Glasgow to take a single point in the second. Some further good play from the Strathclyde team ensured they made full use of the hammer, taking a score of two to take a 3-1 lead.

Glasgow began to tighten up in the fourth end and blanked to take hammer into the fifth end. In the fifth, Glasgow began to pick up the pace and looked set to take a big score of three. In the end, only two points were socred, but Glasgow were now right back into the game with things tied up at 3-3.

The sixth end proved crucial, but not just on Glasgow's sheet. On the sheet next door, Strathclyde 2 had succeeded in preventing RGU from taking any more than four ends, and were well on their way to winning the game too. With that, RGU would not be able to catch Glasgow I, making the Glasgow University team the 2014-15 SSS Champions regardless of the outcome their own game.

However, there was still a job to be done and with Glasgow I now back on form, a few mistakes from the Strathclyde team left Glasgow sitting two on opposite sides of the house without hammer. With his last stone, the Strathclyde skip, A. Callander opted for the draw to score a single, however a combination of miscommunication with the sweepers and the fast ice conditions left it just too heavy and Glasgow picked up a steal of two, going ahead 5-3 into the seventh end.

Another well played end gave Glasgow I the upper hand again, sitting three and guarded up quite nicely. However a great runback attempt from the Strathclyde third, R. McCall, took two of the three Glasgow counters out of the house. However, one lone Glasgow stone was sat on the edge of the button and it proved too difficult to get to and allowed Glasgow another steal of one.

Leading 6-3 going into the eighth and final end, Glasgow skip, Ben Fowler looked to keep things as clear as possible and managed just that with a succession of peels to keep the house totally free of any stones. With his last stone, the Strathy skipper came into the top of the four-foot cirlce to take his sinlge, leaving the final scoreline at 6-4 in Glasgow I's favour.

This result means that Glasgow I has won the SSS Curling League (2014-15) with an undefeated 7-0 record and defended Glasgow's title from last year. With such a good showing of skill and determination over the past season, Glasgow stands in good stead to move into the Glasgow Taxis Cup next week and the SSS Open in Stranraer this April.

A big congratulations to the Glasgow I team of Alasdair Schreiber, Ben Fowler, Rebecca Steven, Jim Whittle, Peter Dagen and Andrew McCluskey for keeping Glasgow at the top of Scottish Universities' Curling for a second year in a row!

On the other sheet, Glasgow II were at work against Aberdeen 1. The team of Andrew McGowan (S), Josh Black (V/S), Cristian Marin and Fraser Baird were unable to pull out a win, however played some good shots and managed to pull out a stolen point, no simple task against such a strong team.

Whilst this season has certainly been tricky for our second team it has certainly been a fantastic experience for all on the team, allowing them to get some experience with a good competitive standard of curling.

Congratulations to the Glasgow II team of Andrew McGowan (S), Heather Thorburn, Cristian Marin, Josh Black, Nicola Ridall and Fraser Baird for a season well fought.

Well done to both teams, we now look forward to the SSS Curling Open this April in Stranraer!