Edinburgh champs Carick Knowe into Top Ten semi-final

Tarves, of Aberdeen and Kincardine, had shown they were something special with away wins over Buckhaven (Fife) and New Abbey (The Stewartry) so represented a real danger on home soil.

“It was an adventure we all looked forward to,” said Colin Mitchell “and it turned out to be a great experience although their green was heavier than what best suited our type of game.”

First blood went to Tarves and it was a mighty wound they inflicted on their visitors who were put under tremendous pressure when spearhead figure Paul O’Donnell was put to the sword in a 21-6 savaging by Andrew Duncan.

It was an opening outcome that shook Carrick Knowe but a counter charge was led, inspiringly, by Mitchell, a former captain of Scotland.

Mitchell and his lead, Kevin Tennant, were asked questions at 9-8 up in the Pairs; but responded with a swashbuckling run of 3, 1, 2, 1 that spurred them on to a 16-10 win.

The trio of Craig Aitken, Graham Pringle and James Hogg were also being tested at 8-7 up in the Triples but thrilled their travelling support with a count of 6 and, two ends later, added a mighty 5 to set up a 19-10 victory.

Carrick Knowe still needed a third win to clinch a place in the semi-finals and it was duly delivered by Alan Poole, Tom Matheson, John Ramsay and Darren Hush in the Fours.

Hush and his rink were reduced to silence at 12-10 down after 12 ends but a mighty roar on end 13 hailed the fantastic count of a full house 8 then, a follow on carding of 4, accelerated them into a 22-12 lead, and on their way to a 23-18 win.

Elsewhere, there was a disappointing outcome at East Linton where the champions of East Lothian suffered a 6-2 defeat from far travelled Campbeltown of Argyll & Bute.

Spearhead figure Graham Bell made an encouraging start in the Singles to lead 9-4 but came under testing pressure at 9-9 then, in a ding-dong battle, tied at 15-15, and 17-17 before slipping to a 21-17 defeat from A Johnston.

A catastrophic start in the Pairs saw Colin Murdoch and George D Cowan put through the mangle to be crushed 17-3 after 12 ends and they found no way back in an 18-10 defeat while a similar fate for the Triple of Derek McCue, Keith Fender and Grant Fender saw them trail 12-0 and lose 25-13.

The only consolation for the home team was Steven Kerr skipping George Cowan Jnr, Terry Sawangsuk and Mike Newlands to a 13-11 win in the Fours.

The results elsewhere were@ Lesmahagow (Lanarkshire ) 2, Wellington Park (Renfrewshire) 6; Northern (Bon Accord) 6, Stranraer (Wigtownshire) 2.