MARCH

08.03.06 WEBSITE VERSION #3 - As you all may have noticed, the new version of the website is now up and running. Most of the pages are complete, but there are still some I've yet to convert to the new format - shouldn't be too long until the whole website's done - please bear with me! (The whole site will be operational in time for the new season.) Anyway, I hope you all like the new look, graphics & button sounds (Genuine bowls noise!) - I think the whole look & feel of the site is much better, but please feel free to e-mail me with any (serious) suggestions or complaints you have. After all, they say constructive critisism is always a good thing... I hope to have a full list of this coming season's fixtures online within the next week - watch this space...

17.03.06 2006 FIXTURES - Club fixtures for this coming season are now on the website. I'm still working at updating all the old pages to the new format and hope to have this completed by the end of next week.

24.03.06 WEBSITE UPDATE - The upgrade of the site to the new look and format is continuing. I've still got a few things left to be done, mainly the photos section and some of the club trophy history, and I hope to have this completed within the next week. Please bear with me on this - I'm going as fast as my other commitments allow!

24.03.06 COMPETITION FORMS - A reminder on behalf of Match Secretary Jim - competition forms need to be handed in to the club by Sunday 9th April at the latest. Here's hoping for good numbers of entries for all the club competitions this year, including the Standing Cup and Duncan Triples. You need to get that form in on time to ensure you can play in the competitions of your choice...

24.03.06 OPENING DAY 2006 - Opening Day this year is 15th April and the sheet for names is now up in the club. Any members wishing to take part in the new season festivities should get their names on said sheet a.s.a.p. as places are fast running out. Remember, only the first 72 names entered can play! On a personal note, I've got my name down to play but will glady step aside to let a new Craigie member play on Opening Day as it's a great way of meeting your new bowling friends and introducing yourself to the club - if any new member hasn't got their name down in time, and wants to participate, please let me know and you can have my place. (I'll still be there to take pics for the website and have a few ales!)

24.03.06 FEES - Members fees for this coming season are now due and can be paid directly to Treasurer, Alan Brown, or left behind the bar at the club. Alan is at the club every Thursday night, should you want to hand over those hard earned monies in person!

27.03.06 NEW SEASON - With the 2006 outdoor season fast approaching (only 19 days to go!), no doubt all you keen bowlers are preparing and getting ready for action. Here’s hoping for a great year at Craigie with lots of success for the club on and off the green. Last season wasn’t a very good one for us on the green. I do, however, have a funny feeling that we will have a much improved year this time around, perhaps even better than the great season we had in 2004...
In the external singles (Scottish Area, Angus etc.) I’m sure we’re all hoping that reigning Craigie champ Vince Stewart can finally go all the way and bring back one of these singles titles (preferably the Scottish!). There’s no doubt in my mind that success at district level is long overdue for a bowler of Vince’s ability and consistency, as I’m sure he’ll agree. By winning the prestigious Broughty Masters for a second time last season he’s continued to prove that he can mix it with the very best in the district so here’s hoping for a good run and perhaps a wee change of fortune in the big singles competitions for Vince this year.
As for our pairs champs, Russell Brannan & George Lowrey, there should also be good prospects for them to do well in the external comps. Russell was part of the Craigie rink that won the 2004 District title and did very well at Ayr, reaching the ¼ finals. Here’s hoping that Russell and George can win a pairs title this summer.
In the Junior Singles prospects are again good, with Vinnie Stewart due to compete in the Scottish and Angus under 26’s. This is, of course, work permitting, and should Vinnie not be available I’m sure that either David Briggs, Stephen McAulay or Vinnie’s younger brother Craig (our current under 35’s champ) will do the club proud – any one of our excellent young bowlers could go all the way to glory.
Prospects for the Angus League would also seem to be good again. With the nucleus of a consistent team still intact, perhaps augmented by some others returning to the fold, we can look forward to another good season. Hopefully our team can perform to the best of their abilities and secure promotion to the 1st division. That would certainly help erase the memory of last year’s huge disappointment, when we missed out on promotion by shots difference on the final matchday.
In the seniors, Jack Reilly will be our representative in the singles, after winning the inaugural Craigie Senior Singles. Walter Hume and Fred Simpson will be competing in the senior pairs after winning the first Craigie Senior Pairs last year. Hopefully all three will play well and go far in these competitions.
Turning to the Dundee & District Wednesday Section, last season Frank Moore was champion in the Ferguson Singles. Let’s hope Frank can repeat his winning form this coming season, along with perhaps some wins in the other Wednesday section competitions.
Your webmaster sends out very best wishes and good luck to all those mentioned above and to all other bowlers selected for Craigie teams in city and district competitions during 2006. I hope the new, expanded selection committee continue to pick good teams that get on well, and play well together, to give us the best chance of another successful year on the green. GO CRAIGIE!!!

28.03.06 CLUB COMPETITION RULES - Match Secretary Jim Irving has put in writing definitive and up-to-date rules for our internal club competitions. In the webmaster's humble opinion (speaking as a past match seretary) a clear and concise re-wording of these rules was long overdue and it's about time this was done, mainly to avoid any 'shenanegans' during tournaments - please take the time to familiarise yourselves with the rules - there are some important changes! Thanks to Jim for taking this step and clarifying the rules for all Craigie members - hopefully this will help avoid any future confusion and 'heated debates'!

31.03.06 WEBSITE UPDATE - The site's now almost complete. I still have a couple of photo items to put on the 'Photos Page' for last season and will get those done next week hopefully. Apart from that, we're fully up and running again - as usual, there will be regular updates and news items throughout the 2006 season, as well as some other 'stuff' your Webmaster has planned. Watch this space...

31.03.06 BUIST MEDAL - I've now added the Buist Medal competition to the History section of the site. There are also two new entries on the Hall of Fame as a result - congratulations to Bob Murray and Ali Strachan for their first and second 'Hall of Fame' entries respectively.

APRIL

03.04.06 DESKTOP WALLPAPER - Now available are three wallpapers for your PC, featuring the club and Craigie badge. Just thought some of you might like to have a nice picture of the club on your PC's! There are only the three basic backgrounds for the moment, but there will be new and more elaborate designs coming soon...

06.04.06 MEMBERSHIP FEES - A quick reminder from Treasurer Alan Brown - membership fees for 2006 are now due and can be paid directly to Alan on Thurs evening, Friday evening & Saturday afternoon or left in a sealed envelope behind the bar, marked for his attention. Fees can also be handed to Tony Hume. All members please try to ensure that your fees are paid in time for Opening Day next week.

07.04.06 CLUB COMPETITIONS - Entry sheets are now up in the club for the Nominated Pairs and the Senior Pairs. Members wishing to enter these tournaments can put their names down now. Closing date for the Nominated Pairs is 30th April, and for the Senior Pairs it's 7th May.

07.04.06 NAMES SHEETS - Sheets for three external competitions are now up in the club as follows:
Hunter Cup – closing date for names 18th April
Angus League – closing date for names 25th April
Senior League – closing date for names 25th April
Any member wishing to represent the club in these competitions should get their name down now!

07.04.06 COMPETITION FORMS - Another reminder from Match Seretary Jim Irving - the closing date for competition forms is fast approaching. If you want to ensure participation in the Club Championship, Standing Cup or Duncan Triples your form should be submitted by Sunday 9th April. The Standing Cup and Duncan Triples draws will be taking place on Monday 10th April and the draw for the Club Championship is on Mon 17th April. The draws will be posted in the club, and on the website, on the respective Monday nights. Get your competition form in now!

10.04.06 OPENING DAY - There is only 1 space left for a player on Opening Day. If you want to take part in the on green festivities please get your name down quickly!

11.04.06 QUIZ CHAMPIONS! - Congratulations to the Craigie Quiz Team who triumphed for the second year running at the annual 'Bowls Club Quiz'. The event was held at Barnhill Bowling Club and our victorious team lined up as follows: Skip: Jim (Fred Housego) Irving, 3rd: Ali (Trivia King) Strachan, 2nd: John (Subby) Prophet & Lead: Richard (Get In There) MacDonald. (Apologies for the nicknames, courtesy of 'King'!) Well done lads - good to see Craigie's season off to a flier with our first 'tournament' win. To be honest, the result was never in question, especially with all the useless trivia knowledge that Mr.Strachan has stored away! Again, congrats to the team and here's hoping it's a sign of things to come on the green in 2006...

11.04.06 CLUB PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT - Planning Trustee Graeme Forsyth has announced the appointment of two assistants to aid him in taking the club forward for the future. Jim H. Smith is appointed as Deputy Planning Trustee and Russell Brannan is formally appointed as Craigie Social Convener for Saturday and Wednesday entertainment. I'm sure all members will wish Jim and Russell success in their new posts.

11.04.06 EASTER BARBEQUE - On Sunday 16th April the club is hosting a barbeque for members and families. The fun starts at 3pm and includes an Easter egg competition for the kids, with prizes for the best painted eggs. All members and families are invited to attend and join in the fun.

11.04.06 CLUB COMPETITIONS - The draws have been made for the Duncan Triples and Standing Cup. These competitions will run on consecutive nights from Wed 19th April onwards, with the triples being played first. Good luck to all those taking part. (It's a shame there's not more!)

17.04.06 CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP - It's the BIG one! The draw for this years Craigie Singles Championship has been made. The full draw is up in the club and on this site.

17.04.06 OPENING DAY 2006 - This years Opening Day took place on Saturday and was a great day for all involved.

19.04.06 COACHING - Having gained their SBA Coaching Certificates, Kath Wright and Margaret Ringsell will be holding a weekly coaching session at Craigie. The ladies will available every Monday from 1st May, between 11am and 1pm and any member (male or female) is welcome to attend.

19.04.06 HUNTER CUP - Our teams have been selected for this years Hunter Cup. Craigie1 play Maryfield1 in the 1st round on Tuesday 25th April at Wormit and line up as: Jim Irving, Russell Brannan, Alistair Murray & Tony Hume, with Gordon Nixon as reserve. Craigie2 play either Barnhill1 or Strathmartine1 in the 2nd round on Thursday 27th April at Dudhope. The team lines up as: Jim Fernie, Frank Moore, John Wright Jnr & Scott Brown, with Jim Simpson as reserve. Good luck to both teams for their respective matches. Hope we can get off to a good start this year with a win in this prestigious, season opening competition.

19.04.06 ANGUS LEAGUE - The selection committee has picked the team for our first match in Division 2 of the Angus League as follows: Rink1 - Jim Irving, Russell Brannan, Joe Mitchell & Vince Stewart; Rink2 - Ian Ringsell, Frank Moore, Alistair Murray & Tony Hume; Rink3 - Jim Simpson, Vinnie Stewart, John Wright Jnr & Scott Brown. Reserves are Stuart Jeans, Kenny Penman and Alan Brown. The match is away at Kirriemuir on Friday 5th May, starting at 6.30pm. All players and reserves are requested to meet at club at 5.30pm on the day. As last year, we look to have a strong team and can hopefully gain promotion to the 'top flight' this year. Good luck to the team for the match.

19.04.06 SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIPS - The sheet for names for selection for this years Scottish Championships is now up in the club. Any member wishing to be considered for selection should put their name down now. The closing date for names is Tuesday 2nd May 2006.

26.04.06 HUNTER CUP - Unfortunately, Craigie1 lost their match in last night's Hunter Cup 1st round, going down by the narrowest of margins (19-18) to Maryfield1. Hard luck lads and let's hope for a better result tomorrow night when Craigie2 start their campaign. I'll bring you news of the result on Friday.

28.04.06 HUNTER CUP - More tales of woe from this year's Hunter Cup unfortunately... Craigie2 lost out narrowly to Barnhill1 last night, going down 16-14. Another close match which has just gone the wrong way for us - hard luck to the lads. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come this season. After last year's disappointing results in external competitions we were all hoping for better in 2006, but no luck yet it would seem. Still, plenty of time left for results to improve!

28.04.06 DUNCAN TRIPLES - This year's Duncan Triples final was played on Wednesday evening and the winners were Bill Hughes, Jim Simpson and skip George Duncan (How appropriate - a 'Duncan' triple has won the Duncan Triples. Sorry, couldn't resist that one!). Bill and George won the event for the first time and Jim's win means he's now won this competition for a record fourth time.

29.04.06 FINDLAY LESSLIE - The names sheet is now up in the club for the Findlay Lesslie Charity competition. This year the competition takes place on Tuesday 30th May and the closing date for names is Sunday 21st May. Any member wishing to represent Craigie should get their name down now.

MAY

02.05.06 NOMINATED PAIRS - The draw has now been made for Craigie's premier pairs competition. The first matches in this year's tournament take place on Monday 15th May.

02.05.06 CRAIGIE TREASURE CHEST - An all new item on the social agenda - check out the 'Social Page' for details. More information will be coming soon...

04.05.06 STANDING CUP - The final of this year's Standing Cup took place last night. After a close match, this year's winners were Fred Simpson, Dale Robertson, Jim McAulay and John Kane. Congratulations to all four on their fine victory.

06.05.06 ANGUS LEAGUE - Unfortunately, our team lost their opening Division 2 match in this year's Angus League, going down away at Kirriemuir. The team lost by 15 shots but I don't know the exact score as there are no league results in today's Courier! Hopefully the results will be in on Monday and I'll be able to update the league tables then.

08.05.06 ANGUS LEAGUE - Results from Friday's opening matches in this year's Angus League are now in and the 'Angus League Page' has been updated accordingly. The final result of our match was Kirriemuir 56 - Craigie 41. Turning to this week's home fixture against Carnoustie West End on Friday... The selectors have made some changes to the team after last week's defeat and the line up is as follows: Rink1 - Jim Irving, Russell Brannan, Joe Mitchell & Vince Stewart; Rink2 - Alan Brown, Vinnie Stewart, John Wright Jnr & Scott Brown; Rink3 - Stuart Jeans, Kenny Penman, Tony Hume & Alistair Murray. Reserves this week are Frank Moore, Jim Simpson and Ian Ringsell. Here's hoping the team plays well and records our first victory of this new Angus League season. As usual, your webmaster encourages all members to get along to the club and cheer on the lads - our teams always appreciate your support - it does make a big difference!

10.05.06 CLUB COMPETITIONS – The draws have now been done for the Under 26 and Under 35 singles, the Senior Pairs and the Buist Medal. All four draws are up in the club and also available to view online – you can see the draws via ‘The Bowls Page’.

10.05.06 D&D FERGUSON SINGLES – Craigie’s defending Ferguson Singles champion Frank Moore has made a great start to the defence of his title with a convincing 21-9 victory in the first round of this year’s competition. Good luck to Frank for his next match.

10.05.06 DUNDEE & DISTRICT WED SECTION – Our rink in this year’s Guthrie Fours, consisting of Jim Murray, Willie Husband, Jack Reilly and Tom Diamond, lost out in the first round of this year’s competition. Hard luck to the lads and hopefully we will see a change of fortune in the Killacky Pairs and Millar Triples matches involving Craigie teams this week. Our representatives in the pairs are Fred Simpson and Walter Hume, with George McLaren, Willie Hughes and Jim Davie playing in the triples.

11.05.06 D&D WEDNESDAY SECTION – Mixed results in yesterday’s Killacky Pairs and Millar Triples. Walter Hume and Fred Simpson had a comfortable 20-7 victory over Strathmartine in the pairs but our triple (George McLaren, Willie Hughes & Jim Davie) lost out, going down 19-13 to Lochee. Commiserations to our triple and good luck to Walter and Fred for their next match. Hopefully the ‘No1 Seeds’ can go all the way!

12.05.06 SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIPS – Last night saw the first matches in this year’s District 4 Scottish Championships with Craigie representatives in singles, triples and fours competing for a place in the next round. Unfortunately, results still aren’t improving for us (yet) this year, with all three matches ending in defeat…
Vince Stewart played the Maryfield champion Grant Harrison in the singles up at Baxter Park and a quality match was anticipated. However, playing on what looked to many spectators (including your webmaster) a very poor rink, neither player was able to find their very best form and Vince was unfortunate to lose 21-16 in the end.
Our triple of Alan Brown, Joe Mitchell and Alistair Murray played against Hillcrest and lost 14-12, whilst our Craigie rink, consisting of Jim Irving, John Wright Jnr, Gordon Nixon and Jim McCartney, were also beaten, this time 22-13 by Forfar. Hard luck to all our teams and hopefully Russell Brannan and George Lowrey can bring us some success when they play in the pairs next week.

14.05.06 ANGUS LEAGUE - Friday saw Craigie play our second match in this year's Angus League 2nd division against Carnoustie West End and, unfortunately, the result was another defeat, with the final score being 76-49 to our visitors. Two of our rinks played well, but your webmaster's rink was simply awful and went down to the worst loss the webmaster's ever been involved in on a bowling green! No doubt the selectors will be making changes for next week's match. Watch this space for details of the team for next week... (Your webmaster will be definitely be sticking to reporting on the matches in future!)

15.05.06 ANGUS LEAGUE - As expected, there have been some changes to the team for this weeks match on Friday and the line up is as follows: Rink1 - Jim Irving, Ali Strachan, Joe Mitchell & Vince Stewart; Rink2 - Ian Ringsell, Frank Moore, John Wright Jnr & Scott Brown; Rink3 - Jim Simpson, Alan Brown, Russell Brannan & Stephen Swann. Reserves for this week are: Jim McCartney, Stuart Jeans, Tony Hume & Alistair Murray. Hopefully the lads can do the business and notch up our first victory this season - good luck to the team!
NB. There may be a slight delay in the update to the league tables this coming weekend as your webmaster is away on the west coast, but hopefully I'll manage to get the update done at some point over the weekend.

15.05.06 SCOTTISH DISTRICT 4 - We have three representatives left in this year's Scottish - in the Junior Singles, the Pairs and in the Mixed Pairs. David Briggs will play in the Junior event on Thursday (18th) at Dudhope against Baxter Park, whilst Russell Brannan and George Lowrey are playing at Parkview against a pair from Carnoustie West End the same evening. In the Mixed Pairs, Alison Thomson and Vince Stewart play tomorrow night (16th) against Forfar at Brechin. Good luck to all our bowlers for these matches - hopefully results will go our way. I will bring you news of the results as soon as I get them.

15.05.06 FALCONER DRAW - The draw has been made for our second singles tournament, The Falconer. The drawsheet is up in the club and also avaible to view here on the website.

18.05.06 CRAIGIE MERCHANDISE - We now have a section devoted to Craigie merchandise on the website. All items can be ordered or purchased at the club. I'll definitely be ordering some of the new polo shirts!

19.05.06 SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIPS - Last night saw defeats for our two remaining Scottish Championship hopes as both David Briggs, in the Junior Singles (21-12) and Russell Brannan & George Lowrey (15-11) in the pairs lost out in their first matches. There was good news from Tuesday nights District 4 mixed pairs though – Vince Stewart and Alison Thomson won through 19-9 against a pair from Forfar. Their next match is on Tuesday 23rd against Montrose at Newgate BC. Good luck to Vince and Alison – hopefully they can keep up that fine form and reach the area semi-finals.

25.05.06 ANGUS LEAGUE - The Angus League Page has now been updated. (Apologies for the delay in updating the tables but I've been kinda busy this week - lots going on!) Craigie won our first match last week, beating Muirhead by 22 shots, 56-34. Well done to the team and hopefully this is the start of a winning streak that will see us climb the table and gain promotion this year.

25.05.06 SCOTTISH MIXED PAIRS - Good news from this weeks Mixed Pairs - Vince and Alison won again, this time beating Montrose 20-11. They are now through to the District semi-finals and will play Broughty Castle on Tuesday 30th at Baxter Park. Good luck to our pair for that match.

JUNE

04.06.06 WEBSITE UPDATE - Please accept webmaster apologies for the recent lack of updates - I've been very busy moving houses and getting engaged!!! Anyway, enough of that, back to important bowling matters! I'll be up at the club tomorrow night and will endeavour to get all the competition draws updated within the next few days. I'll also be reporting on any news that's happened during the last 10 days. Watch this space...

04.06.06 ANGUS LEAGUE - The Angus League Page has been updated with the last two weeks results and can be viewed via 'The Bowls Page' or simply by clicking HERE. Craigie has climbed to sixth in Division 2 after winning one and losing one of our last two matches. Promotion to the top flight remains a possibility, should our lads go on a winning streak in their remaining four matches - here's hoping for some more good results!

07.06.06 CLUB COMPETITIONS - I've updated all the club competition draws on the website. I hope to get another update done early next week.

11.06.06 ANUGUS CHAMPIONSHIPS - This year's Angus Championships start on Monday and Tuesday. Craigie's representatives are as follows:
Champion of Champions - Vince Stewart v HopePaton @ Lochlands BC
Singles - Jim Simpson v Canmore @ Carnoustie BC
Under 25 Singles - David Briggs v Muirhead @ Longforgan BC
Pairs - Alistair Murray & Jim Monks v Forfar @ Fairfield BC
Triples - Jim Irving, John Wright Jnr & Scott Brown v Lochee @ Dudhope BC
Fours - Alan Brown, Kenny Penman, Frank Moore & Tony Hume v Forfar @ Maryfield BC
Senior Singles - Jack Reilly v Monifieth @ Broughty BC
Senior Pairs - Walter Hume & Fred Simpson v Maryfield @ Baxter Park BC
Senior Triples - J.Wright, S.E.Clarke & J.T.Murray v Carnoustie WE @ Broughty BC
Senior Fours - Willie Husband, Jim Penman, George Duncan & Tom Diamond v Maryfield @ Baxter Park BC
Good luck to all our bowlers for their respective matches - here's hoping for some good results. The senior matches take place on Monday afternoon at 2.30pm while the 'regular' games are on Tuesday night, starting at 6.30pm. I'll be reporting all the results on Wednesday. Watch this space...

11.06.06 ANGUS LEAGUE - Another good win for the team on Friday, 56-43 against Broughty, which just about keeps alive our slim promotion hopes, although we'll still need plenty of other results to go our way! This weeks match is the first of three home matches to finish the league and is against Fairfield. Good luck to the team for the match and, as usual, your webmaster encourages everyone to get up to the club and cheer on the lads.

21.06.06 ANGUS CHAMPIONSHIPS - Unfortunately our interest in this year's 'normal' Angus Championships has finished after the second round! I'm not sure about the Senior Singles and Triples - I will update you on their progress soon. Now there's only the City of Dundee Championships, Angus League and Angus Top Ten left for us to have any success in external competitions this year - let's hope for some good results in those tournaments.

24.06.06 MARY MURRAY CHARITY MIXED TRIPLES - This competition is being played at the club tomorrow. Even if you're not playing get along to the club tomorrow and cheer on the participants. Webmaster understands that the 'Craigie Kitchen' will be open, providing the usual array of snacks and meals throughout the day.

24.06.06 CLUB COMPETITIONS - Apologies for the lack of club draw updates recently - this will be rectified within the next few days. I have updated the club championship draw which is now down to the last eight and most of the 'big guns' have fallen by the wayside already, which ensures that we will have a brand new Craigie singles champion this year - good luck to all the players still competing for a place in the semi-finals.

24.06.06 ANGUS LEAGUE - Last night saw Craigie register another victory and accelerate our promotion bid. The team defeated Letham 64-37 and we are now up to third in the table with one match left to play. A good win over Barnhill in our final match, coupled with a draw or defeat for Kirriemuir, could still see us gain promotion to the first division this season! The match against Barnhill is at home next week - your webmaster encourages everyone to get up to the club and cheer on the team - every shot will probably count and the team needs your support. Website congratulations go to Carnoustie West End who won again last night and will be promoted as Division 2 champions - well done to the West End lads. Hopefully things will go our way next week and we will avoid a repeat of last year's end of season disappointment!