GSCT kicks off at Braehead

The new season of The Goldline Scottish Curling tour kicks of this weekend with The Braehead Open, sponsored by Cardwell Garden Centre.

A few of the big hitters may be working abroad this weekend, but there will still be some very good teams hoping to start their season with some tour points

Last year’s Scottish champion Ewan MacDonald will be fielding a slightly changed line-up, with David Edwards joining Ruairidh Greenwood and Euan Byers as the team to beat!

The whole field is pretty strong, but perhaps some of the others to watch out for are:

Grant Hardie, with Blair Fraser, David Reid and Billy Morton

Bruce Mouat, with Duncan Menzies, Bobby Lammie, Gregor Cannon and Angus Dowell

Gina Aitken, with Rowena Kerr, Laura Ritchie and Heather Morton

Sophie Jackson, with Naomi Brown, Rachel Halliday and Rachael Hannen

Cameron Bryce, with Zack Stewart, Fraser Kingan and Frazer Shaw

Home advantage could play a part for Braehead’s own:

Stuart Taylor, with Alasdair Schreiber, Fraser Davidson and Chay Telfer

Other local teams include: Andrew Taylor, John McCall, Pete Lumsden, Ken Horton and Gary MacFarlane, the later few presumably starting their build up for the Scottish Seniors and not to be underestimated!

There are plenty of teams who have travelled from afar, including Sweden, Czech Republic, England, Wales and Ireland, who will be trying to upset the home teams.

The competition will be played in a schenkel league system in which teams will play 3 games in the preliminary rounds with the third preliminary round game depending on league ranking position. The league ranking positions will be based on points, ends, shots scored, in that order.

Twenty teams will be competing in the competition split over two groups of ten teams. Teams ranked 1st and 2nd in Section A and B will progress direct to The Quarter finals, while teams ranked 3 to 6 in each of the two sections will progress to the High Road Knock-Out stage. The winning teams in the High Road Knock-Out stage will go on to the Quarter-Finals.

The eight teams that do not qualify for the High road, go into a schenkel Low Road, and play 3 further games, the Low Road winner will be the team which comes out top in the Low Road League.

The bar will be open throughout the event, for spectators and food will be available from before the first sessions.

Good Curling!!!!

For more information on the event click here

For results click here