The Ladies v Gents Shield

One shield. Two teams. Eleven ends. And absolutely no shortage of banter.

The final day of the season brought us the Ladies v Gents Shield — the fixture everyone secretly, and not-so-secretly, looks forward to. 😄

Members gathered to select their discs and hand over their payments, while the Ladies, determined to reclaim the coveted Shield, disappeared for what could only be described as a closed-door tactical summit.

The Gents waited. And waited. And waited.

Eventually, the Ladies emerged, fully briefed and ready for action, and play commenced across five rinks.

⚖️ The Rules!

Helen Dobson took on the umpiring duties and delivered a set of rules that seemed… well… slightly tilted.

Only Ladies could carry out measures, their decisions were final, and the Gents’ umpire was nowhere to be found. Rumour has it that Campbell was locked in the kitchen, possibly for his own safety. 🤔

🎯 Let the Games Begin!

Once underway, the Ladies’ new tactical innovations quickly became apparent. Chief among them was a mysterious high-tech measuring device involving elastic.

No one knows where the elastic came from, but it was deployed with great enthusiasm. Strangely — or perhaps not — the Gents won very few measures as the Ladies put the elastic to work, and the scores seemed to soar with every enthusiastic stretch! 😂

After eleven brisk ends, the match concluded, and many were beginning to believe the Ladies had finally “got it in the bag.”

The score counting was taken very seriously — this is, after all, a prestigious prize!

🥁 The Moment of Truth…

Michael, our Club President, delivered the verdict:

Ladies – 52 points
Gents – 53 points

😲

Cue disbelief, cries for a recount and a brief period of emotional turbulence.

But once the dust had settled, it was confirmed:

The Gents had won.

Again.

For another year. 🏆

Everyone retired to the hall — some to celebrate their victory, others to drown their sorrows and perhaps begin plotting next year’s strategy.

🍾 Better luck next year, Ladies!

There’s always next season… and who knows what new tactics — or measuring equipment — might appear! 😉