A Cento Poem.........
On September 14th, the journey began,
Off to Italia and not just for a tan,
At Cento to do their best they would strive,
Make sure all teams knew about the Halkirk Boys’ rive,
The first day saw a struggle to find anything,
Thankfully Alison took us under her wing,
Then onto the club comp on Thursday,
The Italians, Irish and Swedes were made to pay,
The dress code for the opening ceremony was tartan skirts,
But on Saturday it was time for the Scotland shirts,
The boys knew it would be tough,
Everything was tried, even snuff,
Alas no pulls were won,
But at the singing we could not be undone,
Will we ever forget the noise of the Swiss cow bell,
And who broke the wee trophy? I cannot tell!
Cento 2005 - A "Festival of Tug of War"
Diary of Cento
Day 1 - Outward Bound
Upon leaving Thurso some of the squad were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a Halkirk TOW legend who was unable to attend the trip, Jamesy Allan. After a rush down the road to Inverness airport, thankfully no speeding tickets were received this time! A red escort had difficulty negotiating the speed bumps in the airport car park but thankfully we all boarded and the journey to Cento had truly begun. After a delay in Gatwick we finally arrived at the Hotel Meeting, a short drive from Bologna airport around midnight. After some embarrassing moments at reception everyone managed to find a "partner" for the night. The hotel seemed nice with the party pleased that it appeared to be in an "upmarket" part of town.
Day 2 - A Voyage of Discovery
After a hearty breakfast of cold ham and croissants, fully worth the 10 Euros price tag, a plan was needed. Taxi's came the cry, but we were too far away for Bertie. A sensible head was needed, but who? Definitely not the Quarryside cowboy that's for sure! Thankfully, Alison was on hand and the lads soon realised just why the girls had been allowed on the trip. Alison did a sterling job organising bus times and tickets and getting us to Cento via Bologna with the minimum of hassle. When we finally arrived in Cento(Pronounced Chento) the stadium holding the championships was nowhere to be seen. Just when it looked as if another Glasgow navigation nightmare was happening, our coach redeemed himself by getting into the local dialect and the stadium was found. It was to be our first taste of the "Cow Bells". They seemed really good the first time we heard them, how that would change. After watching the World Under 23 championships, the taste for Tug of War was growing. Then it was a scrumptious meal of Chicken Stew and early to bed with the club championships tomorrow.
Day 3 - Let the Pulling begin
An early start for the yellow and black machine. After weighing in at 678kg by 8am, the team sheet read M Macgregor, D Budge, W Budge, J Campbell, B Swanson, B Sinclair, G Gunn and A Swanson. Substitute J Murray with water boy A Morris and coach Bruce Swanson Snr. Murray replaced W Budge after the Glenade pull. The opponents and results are shown in the Results section below. After the pulling was done, a refreshment was needed. It was also a time to try and improve international relations. Hand signals were used as well as names of Chocolate to get the point across. It is quite likely that all Swiss people now believe all we eat in Scotland is Haggis! With the Shuttle bus leaving at 11, everyone was rounded up to avoid any more partaking in Swiss delicacies. When we returned to the hotel another three travellers arrived to boost the numbers to 19. It was later this night that some members witnessed a full moon. One eye witness declared it the biggest moon he had seen the moon and was the brightest, appearing bright white. The beauty of a hotel with balconies. Unfortunately the digital had been packed away for the night.
Day 4 - The Opening Ceremony
Like the Sabbath, Friday was a day of rest, in preparation for the international competition. The highlight was to be the Opening Ceremony which will definitely be remembered for many years to come. The flag throwing demonstration quite literally took the breath away. Some members expressed an interest in starting a club in Caithness. After a number of excellent speeches a future Olympic sprinter raced through the streets of Cento with the torch which would officially open the Championships in the stadium. The occasion seemed to get to one flag bearer who fainted during the opting ceremony.
Day 5 - Scotland the Brave
Yet again an early start . After weighing in on the test scales the lads were 6kg over the 680kg limit. After a brisk jog and removal of all clothes bar shorts the lads were still 1kg over. Therefore the team sheet read M Macgregor, A Morris, J Campbell, B Swanson, B Sinclair, J Murray, G Gunn and A Swanson. Substitute D Budge with water boy W Budge and coach Bruce Swanson Snr. Budge replaced Morris midway through the international competition. The opponents and results are shown in the Results section below. Dope test this time was for J Campbell. It was also on Saturday that the lads received an invitation to the Swedish Open in 2006! With the pulling over for most of the team it was a taste of Italy for dinner, with pizza's all round, which everyone seemed to enjoy. Back to the hotel and early to bed for the lads who were pulling on Sunday. However some decided to stay up and party, even trying to buy beer with beer! The local coal merchant then did his bit for international relations by learning some of the Swedish supporters a few party games.
Day 6 - Scotland the Brave II
The Hotel manager had to give some members a talking to due to the noise of the previous evening. This should not affect the Scottish reputation as the hotel staff were sure they were Swedes. The 720kg proved to be as tough as the 680kg had been the precious day. Halkirk supplied half of the team with East Kilbride having four as well. A Morris, D Budge, W Budge and G Gunn pulled on the blue shirts but were unable to get Scotland an end. Dope test this time was for D Budge. All that was left was to support the other Scotland team in the 640kg and the ladies team. Then to the final between Ireland and Switzerland. With Ireland having very few supporters and the Swiss there in abundance, it was time to get behind the Irish lads. The first end lasted 13 minutes and 20 seconds with the Swiss coming out on top and then winning the second as well. With all TOW finished it was time to have a dram and relax. The whole Scottish contingent set up camp at a nearby bar and with flags pitched, everyone knew this was the Scottish corner! Of course it wouldn't be a night out without some snuff on the go, dancing girls on the bar and a certain coal merchant gyrating on the bar and trying to outdo the girls! Never before has anything like that been seen, and hopefully it will be a long time before we see it again! After a few renditions of Flower of Scotland, it was time for "we all pull for a yellow and black machine" which left most bystanders amazed! With the shuttle bus leaving at 11pm, we had to make an exit and what better than to be piped to the bus. On returning to the hotel, another talking to about noise ensued. However the main trouble makers had their room keys de-activated and had to go to the reception and state there would be no repeat of the previous evening's noise! Room 330 was definitely one! The occupants shall remain nameless although they were probably the oldest couple....
Day 7 - Homeward Bound
Up at 4 to catch the bus at 5, some were still in last night's attire. With everyone more or less awake at the airport there was to be another twist in the tail. After watching everyone else board the plane and some delicate words from Mr Macgregor we finally boarded the plane, 10 minutes after it was due to have departed! After a touch of Hugh and Ralph we touched down in Gatwick airport and then made our way to departures for Inverness. After a spot of turbulence we touched down in Inverness with most looking tired and slightly dishevelled! However it was an experience not to be missed and hopefully not the last time that Halkirk TOW represent Scotland. The tans will fade quickly, but the memories will live long.
Results
TWIF Clubs Competition - 680kg
Group 4 -
| Blue Water | Canada |
| Stenungsundds DK | Sweden |
| Halkirk | Scotland |
| Vazzola | Italy |
| Jagersrust | Nederlands |
| Glenade | Ireland |
Halkirk 2 - 0 Vazzola
Jagersrust 2 - 0 Halkirk
Halkirk 2 - 0 Glenade
Blue Water 2 - 0 Halkirk
Halkirk 2 - 0 Stenungsundds DK
TWIF European Championships - 680kg
Switzerland, Ireland, England, Belgium, Italy, Holland
Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, no ends won
TWIF European Championships - 720kg
Switzerland, Ireland, England, Germany, Italy, Holland
Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, no ends won
European TOW Championships - 13 - 18 September, Cento, Northern Italy
Halkirk TOW will leave for Cento, Italy on Tuesday 13th September. Pulling in the 680kg club competition as Halkirk on Thursday 15th and then representing Scotland on Saturday 17th against 10 other countries. Coach Bruce Swanson, has a pool of 10 for the trip.
Those making the journey are Michael Macgregor, Danny Budge, Andrew Morris, Willie Budge, Johnnie Campbell, Bruce Swanson Jnr, Bryan Sinclair, John Murray, Graham Gunn and Andrew Swanson.
Sponsorship has been gratefully received from a number of business', organisations and individuals. A comprehensive list of which will appear here soon.
Preparations are now well underway for the trip to the European Championships.
