One of the interesting features of Bloody Scotland is the football match (on a bowling green) where the Scottish crime writers play against the English ones. There was a lot of cheering and enthusiasm (backed up by the sound of the choir drifting out of the nearby church) and, of course, quite a bit of rain. There was also a discussion of whether one of the England players was a little too athletic for it to really be fair. Last year the score was 13-1 to Scotland. However, England put up a good fight this year and the final score was 5-5.
The match was sponsored by The Dark Pages, who were giving out the great freebies above. Bloody Scotland is definitely a fun and exciting festival, without the rushed formality some festivals have. There is a sense of it not just being a crime writing festival but a weekend where crime writers get together and simply enjoy themselves (and by extension, entertain their readers).
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