Douglas Dryburgh (born 30 January 1966 in
Inverness or
Kirkcaldy,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
) is a Scottish-Irish curler, originally from
Kirkcaldy. He is a former
World Junior champion skip
Skip or Skips may refer to:
Acronyms
* SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene
* Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol
* SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aidi ...
and represented Great Britain at the
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
.
Career
Juniors
In 1986, in his fifth
Scottish Junior Curling Championship championship, and his first as a skip, Dryburgh lost in the final to
David Aitken, who went on to win that year's World Junior Championship. Dryburgh missed his last shot in the 10th, 11th and 12th ends of that game, gaining him a "somewhat unwarranted reputation as a 'choker'".
That season, he also made it to the final of the
Scottish Men's Curling Championship
The Scottish Men's Curling Championship is the national men's curling championship for Scotland. The championship usually decides which team of curlers is sent to the World Curling Championships, World Men's Curling Championship, but in Olympic y ...
. losing to
David Smith in the final. The next season he was finally victorious at the Scottish Junior Championship, defeating Alistair Scott in the Scottish final. He and his rink of
Philip Wilson,
Lindsay Clark and
Billy Andrew went on to represent Scotland at the
1987 World Junior Curling Championships
The 1987 World Junior Curling Championships were held from March 15 to 21 at the Esquimalt Sports Centre Arena in Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada. The tournament only consisted of a men's event.
Teams
Round robin
: Teams to playoffs
: Tea ...
. There, he led his rink to an 8–1 round robin record. In the playoffs, he beat Switzerland and then defeated Canada's
Hugh McFadyen
Hugh Daniel McFadyen (born 31 May 1967) is a lawyer and politician in Manitoba, Canada. From 2006 to 2012, he was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, and Leader of the Opposition in the Manitoba legislature. Followin ...
rink in the final. At the time, he was an electronic engineering student
at the
Paisley College of Technology
, mottoeng = Learning is success
, established = 1897 (as Paisley College of Technology) 1992 (granted university status) 2007 (renamed to UWS)
, former_names = Paisley College of Technology, Paisley Co ...
.
The media dubbed him as the most "colourful" skip at the tournament, becoming a "fan favourite" due to his "soft-edged cockiness" and "dry sense of humour".
Dryburgh was named the all-star skip at the tournament and curled 78% at the event. That same season, Dryburgh made it to the Scottish men's final once again, losing to
Grant McPherson
Grant McPherson (born c. 1964 or 1965) is a Scottish curler.
At the national level, he is a one-time Scottish men's champion, winning a national title in 1987. He represented Scotland at the 1987 World Men's Curling Championship, but was b ...
.
Men's
Following the
Royal Caledonian Curling Club
The Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC), branded as Scottish Curling is a curling club in Edinburgh, Scotland. It developed the first official rules for the sport, and is the governing body of curling in Scotland. The RCCC was founded on 25 ...
(Scotland's national curling body) decision to ban McPherson from competing at the
1987 European Curling Championships
The 1987 European Curling Championships were held from 8 to 12 December at the Eis-Bundesleistungs-Zentrum arena in Oberstdorf, West Germany.
The Swedish men's team skipped by Thomas Norgren won their second title and the West German women's t ...
due to disciplinary reasons, Dryburgh and his rink were selected to represent Scotland at the Euros in their stead.
His team placed sixth, with a 4–2 record at the tournament held in
Oberstdorf
Oberstdorf ( Low Alemannic: ''Oberschdorf'') is a municipality and skiing and hiking town in Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. It is the southernmost settlement in Germany and one of its highest towns.
At the&nbs ...
, Germany. Ten years later at the
1997 European Curling Championships
The 1997 European Curling Championships were held from December 6 to 13 at the Bundesleistungszentrum in Füssen, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most p ...
held in
Füssen
Füssen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu, situated one kilometre from the Austrian border. The town is known for violin manufacturing and as the closest transportation hub for the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau ca ...
, Germany, he led his rink of
Peter Wilson, Philip Wilson,
Ronnie Napier
John Ronald Napier (born 21 August 1963) is a Scottish curler from St. Andrews. Napier has curled in the Olympics once for the Douglas Dryburgh team representing Great Britain in the 1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, offici ...
and brother
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
to a 4–1 record in group play. They then won their quarter final against Norway, but lost in the semifinal to Germany, settling for the bronze medal. Two months earlier, Dryburgh won the British Olympic Trials held in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
, at a time where rinks were not even open for the season yet in Scotland.
This qualified his rink for the
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
in Nagano, Japan, where he captained the British team and placed 7th out of 8. At the time, Dryburgh was employed as a
flight lieutenant for the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
and had to negotiate a posting in
Kinloss, Scotland
Kinloss ( Gaelic: ''Cinn Lois'') is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is located near the shore of Findhorn Bay, around 3 miles (5 km) from Findhorn and 2.5 miles (4 km) from Forres. Northeast of the village is Kinloss Barracks, formerl ...
so that he could train, declining a promotion to a posting in the
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
in the process.
Dryburgh played on the
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
team at the
2005 European Championships in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany with teammates Peter Wilson,
Robin Gray,
Johnjo Kenny and
Peter J. D. Wilson. He led Ireland to a 4–5 record, placing 7th. This qualified Ireland for the
2006 World Men's Curling Championship
The 2006 World Men's Curling Championship was held April 1–9, 2006 at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts, United States. Scotland, skipped by David Murdoch, won the tournament defeating Canada in the final.
Teams
*** ...
in
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...
, the first time Ireland ever qualified for the World Men's Curling Championship. There, the team finished in 12th place out of 12 teams, winning just one game. Dryburgh played in six of the team's 11 matches, including their lone win against Japan.
Personal life
Douglas Dryburgh is son of ice hockey player
Jack Dryburgh
Jack "Jackie" Dryburgh (14 January 1939 – 21 August 2020) was a Scottish ice hockey player and coach and administrator. Born in Kirkcaldy, he played for various clubs in Scotland and England during the 1950s and 1960s as well as coaching ...
, the brother of Olympic teammate
James Dryburgh and brother-in-law of
Margaretha Lindahl
Margaretha Louise Dryburgh (née Lindahl; born 20 October 1974) is a Swedish curler, world champion and Olympic medalist. She received five international medals as an alternate in Elisabet Gustafson's team, including a bronze medal at the 1998 W ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dryburgh, Douglas
1966 births
Living people
Irish male curlers
Scottish male curlers
Olympic curlers of Great Britain
Curlers at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Sportspeople from Inverness
Sportspeople from Kirkcaldy
20th-century Royal Air Force personnel
Alumni of the University of the West of Scotland