Top of the class curlers from Perth produced a grade A performance to be crowned Scottish Schools Championships winners.
The delighted quartet of Sam McConnachie (skip), Jamie Gorton (third), Christopher Hally (second) and Stewart Hamilton (lead) lifted the trophy on Saturday.
They were, proudly, representing Perth Academy at Curl Aberdeen.
Bringing the trophy home to the Fair City sees them following in the footsteps of Olympians and world champions.
The last local school to win the honour was Perth High School in 2017 when Duncan McFadzean, Leeanne McKenzie, Matthew McKenzie and Cameron Paterson claimed top spot.
The year prior, 2016, Perth Academy had their hands on the trophy thanks to the performance of Callum Kinnear, Mili Smith, Angus Martin and Conner Wilkie-Milne.
For 2023 winning skip McConnachie (17), there was a wonderful feeling of achievement.
“It means a lot to win a trophy with big names who have won it in the past, including Olympians and world medallists,” McConnachie said.
“And it feels really good to win it for Perth Academy as last year we finished runner-up.
“The PE department at the academy is great and they are really supportive of anyone who wants to play any kind of sport.
“Mrs Davidson, one of the PE teachers, came all the way to Aberdeen on Saturday to support us.”
Perth Academy edged out Elgin Academy 6-5 in the final and McConnachie praised his team for how they conducted themselves.
“The team played really well all weekend and kept focused on what we wanted to achieve in the competition,” he told the PA.
“Playing a final is really nerve-wracking but we managed to focus on winning the match rather than winning a trophy.
“Everyone in the team knew what we had to do for the final end and that was to not let them score more than a two. We all played really well to get to that result.
“We had been focused all match and knew what to do to win.”
The Scottish Schools Championships delight follows on from a busy curling calendar across the past few months and the success provides another boost for the weeks ahead.
McConnachie said: “The season has been busy as some of the team are part of the Scottish Curling regional academy and have played in U21 and U17 competitions.
“The school event is a great competition to win and has given good momentum for my last couple of competitions of the season.”
McConnachie is looking forward to a bright career in the sport and made sure to highlight the importance of Perth having a facility like the Dewars Centre.
He said: “I just really enjoy playing curling, being part of a friendly sport and meeting different people throughout Scotland.
“My aspiration is to keep playing curling as much as possible and to get to as high a level as I can.
“I have only been able to get into the sport due to the local ice rink, Dewars, and the fantastic Perth Junior Curling Club.”
