NZ Curling

The Royal Caledonian Curling Club has reluctantly decided not to go ahead with Scotland's Grand Match proposed for next week.

The issue wasn't the ice thickness. A statement on the RCCC website cites safety concerns at the preferred Lake of Menteith venue as the primary reason for the cancellation of what would have been the first outdoor Match since 1979.

The decision not to go ahead (based on Police advice) has attracted plenty of discussion on news and blog sites, not all of it favourable. There was sufficient depth of ice at three different lochs, but The Guardian reports that the other ice at the other two – cleared as safe by police – was too rough and unsuitable.

The RCCC has not given up hope of staging the bonspiel this winter, and "will continue to investigate options available to organise such an event at some point in the future, and insure that this iconic spectacle is made possible for the curlers and the public's safe enjoyment."

Links:

• Royal Caledonian Curling Club
• The 1979 Grand Match
• Latest news – Google search
• Skip Cottage Curling blog
• Earlier article

Charles Lees oil painting of the Grand Match on Linlithgow Loch is currently owned by The Royal Caledonian Curling Club. The Match took place on 25 January 1848.

Earlier Article

RCCC hopeful of Grand Match

Friday 8 Jan 2010 – The Arctic blast currently causing havoc in the UK may have a silver lining for the curlers of Scotland – the Royal Caledonian Curling Club is hoping that they may be able to call a Grand Match as early as next week.

Last played outdoors in 1979 on the Lake of Menteith near Aberfoyle, the Grand Match would see 250 teams in what would certainly be a memorable North vs South bonspiel.

There are currently five to six inches of ice on the lake. There must be a minimum of seven inches (18 cm) – enough to safely support several hundred tonnes of curlers, granite and whisky – for RCCC to call the Match.