Week 23 of the Edinburgh & Lothians League was a busy one for the Club with all six of our teams in action.
On Monday 4th March Team 2 welcomed back from his winter getaway, Ian Hislop. He joined David Melrose and James Wighton as they faced the youngsters of Murrayfield 5 in Division 1. The less said about this match the better – a 10-0 drubbing with only four ends won all night by the visitors! James probably played the best on the night taking ends of two Murrayfield opponents and that seems to have won him the POTM award – that’s about as much good news as there was!
On the same night, Team 6 made the trip to North Merchiston in Division 5. Roscoe Cairney, Sian McDonald, and Ian Millar took to the table for the visitors. The first three matches were all tight and could have gone either way. An 11-9 in the fifth win for Roscoe was cancelled out by a fifth end loss for Ian before the lead was restored by Sian as she won in five ends. When Roscoe and Sian won their matches in the second round of singles the visitors held a 4-2 lead going into the doubles. Roscoe and Sian combined to win in four ends and a point was secured. The home side nearly rallied for the draw but a win for Sian put paid to the hosts chances as Team 6 recorded an excellent 6-4 victory.
Team 4 visited Edinburgh International on Wednesday evening in the knowledge that a victory would, avoiding an absolute nightmare end to the season, all but guarantee 2nd position in Division 3. Their hosts started three points behind and could pile the pressure on the Penicuik side with a win. Kristian Skotzen, Craig Linton, and Aidan Craig needed to get off to a good start. Like Team 6’s match the first 3 games of the night couldn’t have been more hotly contested. Aidan won 11-9 in the fifth before Kristain lost out 11-9 in the fifth. In match 3, Craig was under real pressure at 2-1 down, but he turned it around to win in 5 ends to give the visitors the advantage. Matches 4 to 6 went 2-1 to the hosts so going into the doubles fixture the scores were tied at 3-3. An Aidan / Craig combination was a slight surprise – what wasn’t a surprise was that this match also went the distance, 11-9 in the fifth to the hosts – advantage to the Edinburgh side. A win for Craig was followed by a loss for Aidan and Kristian was therefore left with the challenge of winning Match 10 for a draw. His composure held as he won in straight sets and a 5-5 result was probably a fair reflection of the night. Although not mathematically secure in second place, a point gives the chasing EI side a lot to do in the last three games of the season.
Thursday night was another busy one at Ladywood. Team 3 got back on track in Week 22 with a 7-3 win and Krzysztof Laszkiewicz, Bob Porteous and Gary McDougal were looking to build on that as they hosted Corstorphine in Division 2. We often say that 10-0 wins can be deceiving and are on occasion much closer than the score suggests. This wasn’t one of those nights – although the visitors got various ends throughout the night, the first 5 matches all went the way of the Midlothian side. The second half of the match didn’t get any better for the Corstorphine team – another five losses (more heavily this time) and a 10-0 win for Team 3.
Also at home on Thursday night was Team 1 as they hosted Murrayfield 3 in the Premier Division. Greig McDonell nearly never made it because of illness and he’s now wishing he had taken the night off! He didn’t trouble the scorers other than by affecting their focus given his constant coughing! It was left to Peter Aird and Colin Green to try and get something out of the match for the hosts. Both lost to Jacob Munro, but both picked up wins against the other two Murrayfield players. The doubles would therefore determine the outcome of the match. Colin & Peter found themselves 8-2 down in the second end but somehow turned that around with a mammoth 18-16 win. A crucial win in the doubles resulted in a 5-5 draw.
Finally in Week 23, Team 5 hosted West Lothian 6 in Division 4. Rachel Petrie, Patrick Shanks, and Chamika Diyunugalge started the night a place behind their West Lothian opponents. The reverse fixture at Bathgate saw the team whitewashed so they were under no illusions as to how difficult this match was going to be. Whilst a win was not achieved, the good news is that the Penicuik trio played much better than they did in the reverse fixture. Chamika won the player of the night award and was in every match he played – unlucky only to pick up 1 win. Patrick also picked up a win and whilst Rachel didn’t get on the scoreboard she picked up ends in every match she played – an 8-2 loss but some positive signs.
And so, to our player of the week award. Well done to all of Team 3 who were undefeated this week. For Team 4, Craig continued his excellent form and his undefeated night contributed to an invaluable point in a 5-5 draw. Sian was in top form as well for Team 6 – her 3 singles wins were enough to give Team 6 a 6-4 win. Terrific play from her. So, five players in the running this week – how do we split them? Craig lost the doubles (harsh but that’s him out of the running)! Krys didn’t play in the doubles (even harsher – he’s gone as well)! Gary, Bob and Sian also had doubles victories – according to their teammates, the strong doubles players were Sian and Bob – sorry Gary! So, a straight fight between Sian and Bob – in singles they played 12 ends, winning 9 and losing 3 – here we go again on points! Bob 120 for 84 against, Sian 128 for, 95 against! Close but with a point difference of +36 compared to +33 well done to Bob!!
And finally, our controversy of the week section. We could write a novel this week! We’ll start with a couple of minor ones – One of our Team 6 players playing away from home had to speak to another team playing a match at the same time as Team 6 about the noise they were making – lots of whooping, hollering, and squealing apparently. It was, according to our player, rather off-putting. This is always a problem in a multi-table environment. It seems to be part of the game now unfortunately. Cho cho cho.
In Team 2s match at Murrayfield on Monday night, it was oldies v youngsters. An issue in the past about youngsters has been a lack of interest (unless the youngster is actually playing). That was shown in full HD detail in a video taken by Ian of one of James’ matches. The young Murrayfield umpire sat with his head in his hands (or hand actually) – he had no view whatsoever of one end of the table. He was spoken to, but it made no difference. The same player also had a “set-to” with his own teammate who was umpiring his match with David. The youngster wasn’t happy with some of David’s serves and was effectively telling the umpire exactly what he thought of her “non-action”. Pot and kettle comes to mind – at least she was watching the game!!
But these issues pale into insignificance compared to the goings on at Ladywood on Thursday night. In game 1 of Team 1s fixture with Murrayfield, Colin was playing Jacob Munro. In the fifth and deciding end at 5-8 a rally took place during which Jacob ran into a barrier while returning a ball. Colin then hit the ball back into play and Jacob then missed his return. The Murrayfield umpire for some reason did not turn the scoreboard in favour of Colin. He’d obviously just forgotten to do so. Colin pointed out that the score was wrong. The umpire then said he was going to give a let because Jacob had hit the barrier, and it was that which had prevented him from getting back into position to play the next return. What?? Colin explained to the umpire, or at least tried to, that the fact that Jacob had crashed into a barrier was neither here nor there in terms of him being entitled to a let. He asked the umpire to change the score and award him the point. The umpire refused to do so. There was a short break in play (Colin incredulous at what was happening). Greig who had been watching the game indicated to the umpire that the point was Colin's - he was told that it was up to the umpire to make the decision. It was pointed out that whilst the umpire did indeed have the job of officiating the game, he needed to have a basis on which he was making his decision. If umpires can just do what they want when they want then we would never have any fair play in our sport. In fairness to Colin's opponent, he then accepted that the point should be given to Colin. Grant Williams, Murrayfield's third player also indicated that the point should be given to Colin. Effectively every player in the match agreed that the point was won by Colin, other than the Murrayfield umpire, who simply maintained silence, refused to change the score, and gave no reason as to why he considered that the point was not a valid one and why a let should be played. Had the umpire attempted to justify matters at least Colin may have been able to discuss the position with him. His silence however and complete failure to listen to anyone else was utterly appalling. Obviously he kept quiet because he knew he was wrong. At one point Colin thought about not playing on - the basis of that consideration being that in the face of silence from the umpire and in the face of every other player saying he was wrong, this was "cheating" wasn’t it? He played on and lo and behold to make matters worse he lost the decider 11-9.
At no point did the umpire try and give any explanation for his conduct. At no point did he apologise for his behaviour. At no point did he take on board anything which was being said, not only by the opposing team but by his own teammates. At no point did he state what rule he was attempting to rely on in reaching his decision. At no point was he prepared to listen to anyone explain to him what the rules were in such a scenario. His conduct materially affected the outcome of the night. Add to that his behaviour obviously had an impact on the atmosphere of the night and this was by far one of the worst controversies this season. Maybe we’re being unkind, and it was the umpire’s pride that was preventing him from listening to five other players? Is that worse? We can see why some may reach the view that this was pure and simple cheating. The Murrayfield player knew what he had done and even after the match refused to discuss it. At the end of the night, he indicated we could take it up with the match secretary! What will come of that? Who knows, but it is clear that this conduct had a clear impact on the outcome of Colin’s game and ultimately the match!
Ah what fun!
On Monday 4th March Team 2 welcomed back from his winter getaway, Ian Hislop. He joined David Melrose and James Wighton as they faced the youngsters of Murrayfield 5 in Division 1. The less said about this match the better – a 10-0 drubbing with only four ends won all night by the visitors! James probably played the best on the night taking ends of two Murrayfield opponents and that seems to have won him the POTM award – that’s about as much good news as there was!
On the same night, Team 6 made the trip to North Merchiston in Division 5. Roscoe Cairney, Sian McDonald, and Ian Millar took to the table for the visitors. The first three matches were all tight and could have gone either way. An 11-9 in the fifth win for Roscoe was cancelled out by a fifth end loss for Ian before the lead was restored by Sian as she won in five ends. When Roscoe and Sian won their matches in the second round of singles the visitors held a 4-2 lead going into the doubles. Roscoe and Sian combined to win in four ends and a point was secured. The home side nearly rallied for the draw but a win for Sian put paid to the hosts chances as Team 6 recorded an excellent 6-4 victory.
Team 4 visited Edinburgh International on Wednesday evening in the knowledge that a victory would, avoiding an absolute nightmare end to the season, all but guarantee 2nd position in Division 3. Their hosts started three points behind and could pile the pressure on the Penicuik side with a win. Kristian Skotzen, Craig Linton, and Aidan Craig needed to get off to a good start. Like Team 6’s match the first 3 games of the night couldn’t have been more hotly contested. Aidan won 11-9 in the fifth before Kristain lost out 11-9 in the fifth. In match 3, Craig was under real pressure at 2-1 down, but he turned it around to win in 5 ends to give the visitors the advantage. Matches 4 to 6 went 2-1 to the hosts so going into the doubles fixture the scores were tied at 3-3. An Aidan / Craig combination was a slight surprise – what wasn’t a surprise was that this match also went the distance, 11-9 in the fifth to the hosts – advantage to the Edinburgh side. A win for Craig was followed by a loss for Aidan and Kristian was therefore left with the challenge of winning Match 10 for a draw. His composure held as he won in straight sets and a 5-5 result was probably a fair reflection of the night. Although not mathematically secure in second place, a point gives the chasing EI side a lot to do in the last three games of the season.
Thursday night was another busy one at Ladywood. Team 3 got back on track in Week 22 with a 7-3 win and Krzysztof Laszkiewicz, Bob Porteous and Gary McDougal were looking to build on that as they hosted Corstorphine in Division 2. We often say that 10-0 wins can be deceiving and are on occasion much closer than the score suggests. This wasn’t one of those nights – although the visitors got various ends throughout the night, the first 5 matches all went the way of the Midlothian side. The second half of the match didn’t get any better for the Corstorphine team – another five losses (more heavily this time) and a 10-0 win for Team 3.
Also at home on Thursday night was Team 1 as they hosted Murrayfield 3 in the Premier Division. Greig McDonell nearly never made it because of illness and he’s now wishing he had taken the night off! He didn’t trouble the scorers other than by affecting their focus given his constant coughing! It was left to Peter Aird and Colin Green to try and get something out of the match for the hosts. Both lost to Jacob Munro, but both picked up wins against the other two Murrayfield players. The doubles would therefore determine the outcome of the match. Colin & Peter found themselves 8-2 down in the second end but somehow turned that around with a mammoth 18-16 win. A crucial win in the doubles resulted in a 5-5 draw.
Finally in Week 23, Team 5 hosted West Lothian 6 in Division 4. Rachel Petrie, Patrick Shanks, and Chamika Diyunugalge started the night a place behind their West Lothian opponents. The reverse fixture at Bathgate saw the team whitewashed so they were under no illusions as to how difficult this match was going to be. Whilst a win was not achieved, the good news is that the Penicuik trio played much better than they did in the reverse fixture. Chamika won the player of the night award and was in every match he played – unlucky only to pick up 1 win. Patrick also picked up a win and whilst Rachel didn’t get on the scoreboard she picked up ends in every match she played – an 8-2 loss but some positive signs.
And so, to our player of the week award. Well done to all of Team 3 who were undefeated this week. For Team 4, Craig continued his excellent form and his undefeated night contributed to an invaluable point in a 5-5 draw. Sian was in top form as well for Team 6 – her 3 singles wins were enough to give Team 6 a 6-4 win. Terrific play from her. So, five players in the running this week – how do we split them? Craig lost the doubles (harsh but that’s him out of the running)! Krys didn’t play in the doubles (even harsher – he’s gone as well)! Gary, Bob and Sian also had doubles victories – according to their teammates, the strong doubles players were Sian and Bob – sorry Gary! So, a straight fight between Sian and Bob – in singles they played 12 ends, winning 9 and losing 3 – here we go again on points! Bob 120 for 84 against, Sian 128 for, 95 against! Close but with a point difference of +36 compared to +33 well done to Bob!!
And finally, our controversy of the week section. We could write a novel this week! We’ll start with a couple of minor ones – One of our Team 6 players playing away from home had to speak to another team playing a match at the same time as Team 6 about the noise they were making – lots of whooping, hollering, and squealing apparently. It was, according to our player, rather off-putting. This is always a problem in a multi-table environment. It seems to be part of the game now unfortunately. Cho cho cho.
In Team 2s match at Murrayfield on Monday night, it was oldies v youngsters. An issue in the past about youngsters has been a lack of interest (unless the youngster is actually playing). That was shown in full HD detail in a video taken by Ian of one of James’ matches. The young Murrayfield umpire sat with his head in his hands (or hand actually) – he had no view whatsoever of one end of the table. He was spoken to, but it made no difference. The same player also had a “set-to” with his own teammate who was umpiring his match with David. The youngster wasn’t happy with some of David’s serves and was effectively telling the umpire exactly what he thought of her “non-action”. Pot and kettle comes to mind – at least she was watching the game!!
But these issues pale into insignificance compared to the goings on at Ladywood on Thursday night. In game 1 of Team 1s fixture with Murrayfield, Colin was playing Jacob Munro. In the fifth and deciding end at 5-8 a rally took place during which Jacob ran into a barrier while returning a ball. Colin then hit the ball back into play and Jacob then missed his return. The Murrayfield umpire for some reason did not turn the scoreboard in favour of Colin. He’d obviously just forgotten to do so. Colin pointed out that the score was wrong. The umpire then said he was going to give a let because Jacob had hit the barrier, and it was that which had prevented him from getting back into position to play the next return. What?? Colin explained to the umpire, or at least tried to, that the fact that Jacob had crashed into a barrier was neither here nor there in terms of him being entitled to a let. He asked the umpire to change the score and award him the point. The umpire refused to do so. There was a short break in play (Colin incredulous at what was happening). Greig who had been watching the game indicated to the umpire that the point was Colin's - he was told that it was up to the umpire to make the decision. It was pointed out that whilst the umpire did indeed have the job of officiating the game, he needed to have a basis on which he was making his decision. If umpires can just do what they want when they want then we would never have any fair play in our sport. In fairness to Colin's opponent, he then accepted that the point should be given to Colin. Grant Williams, Murrayfield's third player also indicated that the point should be given to Colin. Effectively every player in the match agreed that the point was won by Colin, other than the Murrayfield umpire, who simply maintained silence, refused to change the score, and gave no reason as to why he considered that the point was not a valid one and why a let should be played. Had the umpire attempted to justify matters at least Colin may have been able to discuss the position with him. His silence however and complete failure to listen to anyone else was utterly appalling. Obviously he kept quiet because he knew he was wrong. At one point Colin thought about not playing on - the basis of that consideration being that in the face of silence from the umpire and in the face of every other player saying he was wrong, this was "cheating" wasn’t it? He played on and lo and behold to make matters worse he lost the decider 11-9.
At no point did the umpire try and give any explanation for his conduct. At no point did he apologise for his behaviour. At no point did he take on board anything which was being said, not only by the opposing team but by his own teammates. At no point did he state what rule he was attempting to rely on in reaching his decision. At no point was he prepared to listen to anyone explain to him what the rules were in such a scenario. His conduct materially affected the outcome of the night. Add to that his behaviour obviously had an impact on the atmosphere of the night and this was by far one of the worst controversies this season. Maybe we’re being unkind, and it was the umpire’s pride that was preventing him from listening to five other players? Is that worse? We can see why some may reach the view that this was pure and simple cheating. The Murrayfield player knew what he had done and even after the match refused to discuss it. At the end of the night, he indicated we could take it up with the match secretary! What will come of that? Who knows, but it is clear that this conduct had a clear impact on the outcome of Colin’s game and ultimately the match!
Ah what fun!
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