The History of The Upper Ward of Lanarkshire Curling Club (UWL)
BACKGROUND
Information supplied by Drew Walker – Secretary/Treasurer – Nov 2022 (Original copy poor and re-typed by Anne Hood (AH) of LCC)
The Upperward of Lanarkshire Curling Club was constituted on 12th December 1892 at a meeting held in Mr. Blackwood’s Station Hotel, in Lanark. (The Royal Oak).
The purpose of this club comprising all the local Clubs was simply to bring together all the curlers of the Upperward, once each year, and Jack Frost permitting, have a One Whole Day Bonspiel, or what would be, the semblance of a local Grand Match.
The chairman of the initial meeting was Mr. Robert J. Logan of Newmains, father of Robert (Bobby) J. Logan of Eastshields, Carnwath, who, though not a curler himself, was delighted to come along and present the prizes at the centenary bonspiel on 19th November 1992.
A most auspicious list of local landed gentry were prevailed upon to be Vice Presidents, and of these Mr James Lawrie of Bellfield, a leading member of the Royal Caledonian Society in London, made the offer, which was gratefully accepted, and he duly presented the Club with a most magnificent silver Trophy, henceforth to be known as “The Lawrie Trophy”, and to be competed for annually by the members Clubs.
THE LAWRIE TROPHY
The first Bonspiel took place on Lanark Loch on the 12th of January 1893, when three hundred and twenty curlers, (320) representing twenty-two (22) local Clubs took part. The winners were Dippool Water, and one of the four winning skips representing that Club was Mr. Robert J. Logan.
The winning Club was Dippool Water. The participating Clubs were :-
Dippool Water (4 rinks) Lanark (7 rinks) Biggar (4 rinks)
Braidwood (3 rinks) Walston (3 rinks) Carnwath (2 rinks)
Leadhills (3 rinks) Lesmahagow (5 rinks) Abington (2 rinks)
Liberton (4 rinks) Carstairs (4 rinks) Tarth Water (2 rinks)
Carluke (5 rinks) Wiston (3 rinks) Coulter (5 rinks)
Douglas (7 rinks) Kirkfield (4 rinks) Crossford (4 rinks)
Lamington (2 rinks) Symington (3 rinks) Carmichael (3 rinks)
Pettinain (2 rinks)
A grand total of 22 Clubs : 91 rinks : 324 curlers
The Crawfordjohn Club joined the Upperward the following year.
President :- A. H. Stein Esq
Secretary :- Thomas Lithgow Esq.
Treasurer :- David Stodard Esq.
The Bonspiels continued annually, when suitable ice was available either on Lanark, Carstairs, or the Douglas Loch. The last outdoor winner was Braidwood in 1936, and the Club then went into abeyance until 1962, when Tam Bryce of Braidwood, a member of the last winning Club, handed over the Trophy, and the original Minute Book to Mr E. M. Foulis of Lanark.
At a meeting in his Ladyacre Tearooms, Lanark, on Tuesday 29th May 1962, with Mr. Eddie Foulis in the Chair, and attended by representatives from Biggar, Blackwood, Carstairs, Coulter, Dippool, Douglas, Lanark, Lesmahagow, and the Symington Clubs, with a few minor amendments to the Rules, the Club was unanimously reconstituted.
From that time, the Annual Bonspiel for the Lawrie Trophy, has been played indoors, firstly at Crossmyloof, Glasgow, then thereafter, at Lanarkshire Ice Rink, Hamilton, where it continues to be held annually, to the present day.
The original Clubs :-
ABINGTON – BIGGAR – BRAIDWOOD – CARMICHAEL – CARLUKE – CARSTAIRS – CARNWATH – COULTER – CROSSFORD – DIPPOOL WATER – DOUGLAS – KIRKFIELD – LAMINGTON – LANARK – LEADHILLS – LESMAHAGOW – LIBERTON – PETTINAIN – SYMINGTON – TARTH WATER – WALSTON – WISTON.
And for current information checkout the Website’s – THE LAWRIE TROPHY Page.
CURLIANA
The following article was supplied by Wallace Somerville – President of Biggar District & Upper Clydesdale Province (PRB) (Dippool CC – Feb 2023).
