DAY 18

The start time of our journey was brought forward to 06.45am because the roads were likely to be affected by snow. En-route eastward the amount of lying snow increased: 3 hours later it was 8-10 deep at the road side but traffic still moved carefully. Three sheets Mayfield curling club is in a suburban area beside 2 golf courses. Just inside the clubhouse door is a set of 10″ square tiles each engraved with the names of each player in the Scots and US teams who played in the Herries Maxwell competition in 2007. Mayfield has presented Burns Suppers to Scots tourists three times-1997,2007 and now 2017.
Bob Bellamy, chairman for our visit had written that it was his club’s intention to make our stay ‘exceptional and full of pleasant memories’. Bob: that promise was kept and we most certainly will take home and hold lots of great memories.
We had 3 teams on for the first session then two for the following one at 2.30pm.
Mayfield produced a very smart 12-page brochure covering several aspects of the tour and its history. Burns evening started in a high ceilinged Baronial style hall with the 16 piece, 87th Cleveland Pipe Band. The repertoire, skills with their instruments, their appearance – the whole performance – had a big impact on us Scots in particular. The haggis was piped in and then addressed very confidently by Mayfield man Ryan MacRaild. John Hodge gave the ‘Selkirk grace’, Albert Middler explained with humour the life, activities and character of every haggis before it finally becomes our ‘meat’ Malcolm MacAskill sang several songs to much appreciation from the audience. John Good introduced and recited “Tae a Moose”. Ian Young spoke for all us tourists in assuring our most generous hosts that we were greatly privileged to have been invited to join Mayfield CC in celebrating Burns Night with them.
This is neither the time nor the place to consider all the circumstances which led some tourists to take diversions before arriving back at our hotel. Suffice to say that Judge McIntyre held that certain parties had failed properly to protect the cohesion of our tour and that these parties would be fined. It could have been worse.