Scottish Curlers Visit The Club – Part VI 1955

1955 marked the first RCCC Tour exclusively to the United States.  In 1952 a group of American curlers toured Scotland.

Twenty Scottish curlers arrived on Sunday January 30, 1955 at Willow Run airport from Chicago at 7 p.m.  They were immediately whisked away to Olympia Stadium to watch the Red Wings give the Montreal Canadiens a shellacking 7-1 before the largest crowd to date at the “Old Red Barn”.  Then onto the Hotel Fort Shelby.

Monday morning five 8-end games were played at The Club on Forest Ave.  The visitors won 50 to 48.  After the games they went to lunch at the Dearborn Inn followed by tours of the Ford plant, the Rotunda and Greenfield Village.  By 4 pm back to the hotel.  But, not for long - 6 p.m. dinner at the curling club followed by 8:30 curling.  The evening games were also won by the Scots:  90 – 78.

Tuesday morning and afternoon saw more games at the Detroit Curling Club followed by a dinner banquet at the Fort Shelby Hotel.  At 9:30 pm they were at Central Station boarding a private train car for Utica.

Whew!  Busy schedule.

The Scots brought along their old brooms explaining that, “although a brush sweeps clean, mony a mickle maks a muckle”.

When in Detroit the Scottish curling team was introduced to some of the DCC members who were to oppose them.  Chairman John McKinlay introduced them to Ken McLeod, Ian MacDonald, Stewart MacLaren, John MacFarlane, Mac MacGlashan, and A. MacTavish.  John Watson, captain of the Scottish visitors grinned:  “You have more Scots here in Detroit than we have in All of Scotland”.  He didn’t know then that he was also to compete against a Speerschneider, a L’Heurex, a Sweeney, a Slyziuk and a conglomeration of other names not quite so Scottish.

Failin’ means yur playin’,

Angus MacTavish