Winter Solstice in Cape Breton
Month: December 2025
Kilsyth
Kilsyth, 1926. Kilsyth is on the northeast fringe of Glasgow, situated between the Kilsyth Hills to the north, the River Kelvin to the south, and bogs and marshes to the east and west. It was the site of the Battle of Kilsyth between Royalists and Covenanters in 1645. It’s the home of the first curling club, founded in 1716. Building stone has been quarried here for centuries, which has left several large holes in the townscape.
Kilsyth Rangers began in 1913 and play at Duncansfield Park. Kilsyth Athletic was formed in 2002 and uses Kilsyth Sports Field as its home ground. The two are in the West of Scotland League Second Division this year and play each other today.
Morton visit St Johnstone. St Johnstone are top of the division with 38 points. Morton are seventh with 21.
The season is half over. Morton are on track to finish with 42 points, good enough for sixth place in last year’s Championship.
Hearts are after St Johnstone’s top scorer Josh McPake (who played for Morton in 2020-21). McPake leads the Championship with 12 goals. It’s not too long since Rangers were after Hearts’ top scorer.
Hamilton Academical have been docked 9 points for failing to maintain a bronze licence.
Gary Miller has taken on the role of interim head coach at Morton.
[St Johnstone 5 – 0 Morton.]
The other Championship matches:
Aidrieonians (8th) [0 – 3] Queen’s Park (9th)
Dunfermline Athletic (5th) [2 – 3] Ayr United (4th)
Partick Thistle (2nd) [0 – 0] Raith Rovers (6th)
Ross County (10th) [0 – 2] Arbroath (3rd)
Ross County sacked their manager after last weekend’s loss.
Scottish Challenge Cup, R2 (December 16):
Dumbarton (L2) 0 – 9 Inverness CT (L1)
By my count this is Dumbarton’s third-worst result ever, and their worst at home. They were beaten 11 – 1 twice: at Albion Rovers in 1926 in Division Two and at Ayr United in 1952 in the League Cup.
Elgin City (L2) 2 – 3 East Fife (L1)
Montrose (L1) vs The Spartans (L2) (postponed again)
Cove Rangers (L1) 1 – 2 Partick Thistle (Ch)
Hearts B 0 – 1 St Johnstone (Ch)
Queen of the South (L1) 4 – 3 Dunfermline Athletic (Ch) Upset
Queen’s Park (Ch) 2 – 1 Clyde (L2)
Other matches:
Golspie Sutherland 1 – 0 Bonar Bridge (December 17)
Fortuna Düsseldorf [2 – 1] Greuther Fürth
Wick Academy [2 – 1] Huntly
Largs Thistle [3 – 0] Kilwinning Rangers
Kilsyth Athletic [2 – 1] Kilsyth Rangers
Glasgow Perthshire [1 – 6] Port Glasgow
Elfen Saitama [0 – 1] JEF United
South Challenge Cup, R4:
St Roch’s (W1) [2 – 1] Bonnyrigg Rose (LL) Upset
South Challenge Cup, R5:
Cumnock (WP) [3 – 0] Neilston (W1)
Greenock (W2) vs Glenafton Athletic (WP) [postponed]
Kilbirnie Ladeside (W1) [2 – 6] Cumbernauld United (W1)
Leith Athletic (E1) [0 – 3] Haddington Athletic (E3) Upset
Muirkirk (W1) [3 – 2] Rutherglen Glencairn (WP) Upset
Vale of Clyde (W1) [1 – 0] Caledonian Braves (LL) Upset
University of Stirling (LL) [4 – 0] Renfrew (WP)
Scottish Junior Cup, R3:
Fraserburgh United [wo – scr] Dundonald Bluebell
UEFA Conference League, league phase, matchday 6 (December 18):
Sparta Prague 3 – 0 Aberdeen
Shamrock Rovers 3 – 1 Hamrun Spartans
Celje 0 – 0 Shelbourne
Aberdeen, Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne are out.
With the World Cup approaching like a distant cloud of locusts the CFL has had to plan ahead and release its 2026 schedule early. There will be no Argonaut home games between May 29th (preseason week 3) and August 6th (regular season week 10) and no BC Lions home games between May 23rd (preseason week 2) and June 27th (Week 4). As the Lions are giving themselves less than 24 hours to convert their stadium from World Cup to CFL football after New Zealand vs Belgium June 26th, you can imagine a postponement happening.
Historical matches:
1890/12/20 Morton 1 – 2 Linthouse
1930/12/20 Morton 1 – 1 Ayr United
1952/12/20 Morton 1 – 0 Cowdenbeath
1980/12/20 Hearts 0 – 0 Morton
Cup results of the 1890-91 SFL clubs:
1890/12/20 Vale of Leven 12 – 0 Kirkintilloch Athletic (Dumbartonshire Cup SF replay)
1890/12/20 Leith Athletic 2 – 3 Abercorn (Sc Cup R6)
1890/12/20 Dumbarton 3 – 0 Celtic (Sc Cup R6)
1890/12/20 East Stirlingshire 1 – 3 Hearts (Sc Cup R6)
Kensui
93rd All Japan Ice Hockey Championship
It’s the 93rd All Japan Ice Hockey Championship. Twelve teams participate: four from Asia League Ice Hockey, four from the regional leagues, and four university teams. The ALIH teams are Red Eagles Hokkaido, Tohoku Free Blades, Yokohama Grits and Tochigi Nikko Ice Bucks. The regional league teams are Dynax, Nippon Steel Muroran, Tomakomai City Hall and Kushiro Koseisha. The university teams represent Chuo, Meiji, Toyo and Kwansei Gakuin. The ALIH teams get a bye through the first round.
Missing from the tournament is Stars Kobe, the newest ALIH club. They went professional in 2024 but date themselves back to 1994 as the Konan University club. They’re currently dead last in the ALIH. The sixth ALIH club, HL Anyang, is South Korean.
All games are at the Big Hat in Nagano.
The games:
December 18:
Match No. 1: Meiji University [5 – 4] Tomakomai City Hall
Match No. 2: Dynax [1 – 6] Toyo University
Match No. 3: Kushiro Koseisha [6 – 4] Chuo University
Match No. 4: Nippon Steel Muroran [7 – 3] Kwansei Gakuin University
December 19:
Match No. 5: [Meiji University] [1 – 11] Yokohama Grits
Match No. 6: Tochigi Nikko Ice Bucks [6 – 1] [Toyo University}
Match No. 7: [Kushiro Koseisha] [1 – 9] Red Eagles Hokkaido
Match No. 8: Tohoku Free Blades [7 – 3] [Nippon Steel Muroran]
December 20:
Match No. 9: [Tochigi Nikko Ice Bucks] [6 – 3] [Yokohama Grits]
Match No. 10: [Tohoku Free Blades] [1 – 2] [Red Eagles Hokkaido]
December 21:
Match No. 11: [Yokohama Grits] [1 – 2] [Tohoku Free Blades] (3rd-place game)
Match No. 12: [Tochigi Nikko Ice Bucks] [3 – 4] [Red Eagles Hokkaido]
[The 80th Korean Ice Hockey Championship was held December 20th to 23rd. These are the results as best as I can discover:
Kwangwoon University W – L KW Udire
Yonsei University W – L Kwangwoon University
HL Anyang 7 – 5 Korea University
HL Anyang 4 – 2 Yonsei University]
Geizer’s Hill
Senators at Black Hawks, December 16, 1930
Chicago Stadium was immense by 1930 standards, seating 16,000.
The Ottawa Senators visited the Chicago Black Hawks on this date in 1930. Coming into this game the Black Hawks were first in the American Division with 15 points. The Senators were last in the Canadian Division with 9.
The Black Hawks joined the NHL in 1926, stocked in part by former Portland Rosebuds players. By 1930 the only Rosebud left was Duke Dukowski. Between moving out of the old Chicago Coliseum and into the Stadium in 1929 the Black Hawks played five home games at the Peace Bridge Arena in Fort Erie. That was the home rink of the IHL’s Buffalo Bisons from 1928 until the storm of March 17th, 1936, when it collapsed under the weight of snow.
Most of the Black Hawks were Westerners. Taffy Abel, Stew Adams, Helge Bostrom and Vic Ripley were former Minneapolis Millers. Rosario Couture, Charlie Gardiner, Johnny Gottselig and Art Somers were former Winnipeg Maroons. None of the Black Hawks had played for Ottawa. None of the Senators had played for Chicago.
First period: goals by Gottselig (Chicago), Touhey (Ottawa), Ingram (Chicago).
Second period: goals by Touhey and Ingram.
Third period: goal by Ty Arbour (Chicago).
Final score: Chicago 4, Ottawa 2.
Montreal Senior Group:
Game 13, December 15: McGill 1 – 1 Montreal AAA
Game 14, December 15: Canadiens 0 – 1 Columbus
All-Nighter
Gingerbread Gus’ Pub
Craighead Park Under Snow
Lesmahagow’s league fixture against Largs November 22nd was snowed out. Source.
Airdrieonians visit Cappielow. Morton are sixth in the Championship with 21 points, Airdrie eighth with 14. Morton are coming off an upset loss to Stirling Albion in the Challenge Cup midweek. Airdrie beat Alloa. Airdrieonians won the Challenge Cup two years ago. Morton never have. If you add together Old Airdrieonians’ three Challenge Cups and New Airdrieonians’ two you find that Airdrie is the most successful Challenge Cup town, ahead of Falkirk (four) and Hamilton, Inverness, Dingwall, Kirkcaldy and Dundee (three apiece).
[Morton 0 – 1 Airdrieonians.]
The other Championship matches:
Ayr United (4th) 2 – 4 St Johnstone (1st) (yesterday)
[With this win St Johnstone become the first Championship side to beat every other one this season.]
Arbroath (3rd) [2 – 1] Partick Thistle (2nd)
Queen’s Park (9th) [1 – 1] Dunfermline (5th)
Raith Rovers (7th) [6 – 0] Ross County (10th)
Scottish League Cup final (tomorrow):
St Mirren [3 – 1] Celtic Upset!
Celtic have won the League Cup 22 times before, St Mirren once. Celtic have won both league meetings this season.
Other matches:
University of Stirling 2 – 3 Clydebank (December 10)
Meshtakhe 1 – 1 Telavi (December 10)
Telavi [1 – 1] Meshtakhe (tomorrow) [Meshtakhe win on PK and gain promotion.]
SV Elversberg [1 – 0] Fortuna Düsseldorf (tomorrow)
Formartine United [0 – 0] Wick Academy
Clydebank [1 – 0] Civil Service Strollers
Kennoway Star Hearts vs Coldstream [postponed]
Greenock [1 – 1] Bonnyton Thistle
Thurso [4 – 0] Golspie Sutherland
HFX Wanderers have signed Vanni Sartini as manager. He managed the Vancouver Whitecaps from 2021 to 2024. Stephen Hart is going to stay on as head coach of the Halifax Tides.
Scottish Junior Cup, R4:
Johnstone Burgh [2 – 0] Renfrew
Lesmahagow [0 – 3] Largs Thistle
Knightswood [5 – 0] Dyce
Scottish Junior Cup, R5:
Auchinleck Talbot [3 – 0] Rutherglen Glencairn
Benburb [2 – 1] Troon
Buchanhaven Hearts [1 – 0] Thorniewood United
Dundee North End [2 – 0] Drumchapel United
Strathclyde Cup:
Campbeltown Pupils vs Port Glasgow [abandoned]
Royal Albert 5 – 0 Forth Wanderers (yesterday)
It makes no difference, Whitletts Victoria have already won the trophy.
2025-26 UEFA Europa League, matchday 6:
Ferencváros 2 – 1 Rangers (December 11)
Celtic 0 – 3 Roma (December 11)
2025-26 UEFA Conference League, matchday 5:
Aberdeen 0 – 1 Strasbourg (December 11)
Shelbourne 0 – 3 Crystal Palace (December 11)
Breiðablik 3 – 1 Shamrock Rovers (December 11)
2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite, matchday 6:
Vissel Kobe 2 – 2 Chengdu Rongcheng (December 9)
Machida Zelvia 3 – 1 Ulsan HD (December 9)
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1 – 0 Shanghai Shenhua (December 10)
2025-26 AFC Champions League Two, matchday 6:
Gamba Osaka 2 – 0 Ratchburi (December 11)
Gamba advance.
47th Empress’s Cup, SF:
Match No. 45: Iga FC Kunoichi Mie (N1) [1 – 3] INAC Kobe Leonessa (WE)
Match No. 46: Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina (WE) [3 – 2] Cerezo Osaka (WE)
Leonessa have won the cup seven times, Iga once, Regina and Cerezo never.
Historical matches:
1890/12/13 Morton 0 – 1 Cowlairs
1930/12/13 Morton 1 – 3 Queen’s Park
1952/12/13 Alloa 3 – 0 Morton
1980/12/13 Kilmarnock 3 – 3 Morton
Cup results of the 1890-91 SFL clubs:
1890/12/13 Third Lanark 4 – 3 Cambuslang (Glasgow Cup SF)
1890/12/13 St Mirren 1 – 0 Abercorn (Renfrewshire Cup R2 replay)
1890/12/13 Alloa Athletic 2 – 7 Hearts (EoS Shield SF)
1890/12/13 Clydebank 1 – 4 Dumbarton (Dumbartonshire Cup SF)
1890/12/13 Kirkintilloch Athletic 0 – 0 Vale of Leven (Dumbartonshire Cup SF)
1890/12/13 Celtic 2 – 0 Royal Albert (Sc Cup R5 2nd replay)
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