New Zealand Curling

A mild start to the New Zealand winter may have kept the farmers happy with a longer growing season, but it created a few headaches for organizers of the NZ Curling Association's 125th Jubilee Bonspiel.

	The home side in action at Alexandra

With no chance of natural ice, four ice rinks in the lower South Island hosted the 28 teams on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 June. Most sides played at a different venue on each of the two days of keen but friendly competition. The 7 rounds of crampit curling were followed a round of hack on Friday afternoon, and then a Jubilee dinner at Ranfurly on Friday evening.

Unfortunately technical problems at Naseby's outdoor rink prevented it being used, and play there was transferred to the neighbouring indoor rink. The indoor rinks at Dunedin and Gore were also used, with Alexandra the only outdoor venue.

Poolburn won the Jubilee Bonspiel Shield donated by NZCA President James Hazlett, finishing with 6 wins and a draw from their seven games. They were followed by Ranfurly (6 wins, 1 loss) and Dunedin 2 (5 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss). Lowburn 1's seven losses earned them the "leather medal".

• Results summary

Jubilee Dinner

Tradition and conviviality were the order of the evening at Friday evening's Jubilee dinner at the Maniototo Stadium. The haggis was ably piped in by father and son pipers Jock and Andrew Scott, and a stirring address to the haggis was made by Stuart Francis.

Two guest speakers provided some mental nourishment to the evening as well. Bill Goodsall from Sport Otago addressed the issues faced by non-mainstream sports, and he was followed by Peter Wardell, Chef de Mission of the NZ team at 2012's Winter Youth Olympics. Peter gave an entertaining and informative summary of his role and the discussed keys to success at the highest level of sport.

NZCA Chairman Robert Rutherford commented on the excellent heart that the sport was in and the need to keep the cherished traditional side of the sport alive and vibrant, while ensuring that the competitive modern game was given every support for New Zealand teams to become more competitive in the international arena.

The NZ Curling Association's challenge is to capitalize on the wide exposure given to the sport at the Winter Olympics, and ensure that curling in New Zealand expands from its current niche role in the decades ahead.

NZCA President James Hazlett and Pipers Andrew Scott and Jock Scott listen as Stuart Francis addresses the haggis

Earlier Article

125th Jubilee celebrations

21 March 2011 – The New Zealand Curling Association is to celebrate its 125th Jubilee this winter by holding a Jubilee Bonspiel on Thursday 23 June and Friday 24 June 2011, to be followed by a Jubilee Dinner at the Maniototo Stadium, Ranfurly on the Friday evening. The proposed format is to be as follows:

Thursday 23 June 2011

Crampit curling at Alexandra, Dunedin, Gore, and Naseby rinks –
Four games of 10 ends or 100 minutes
[09:00-10:40; 11:00-12:40; Lunch; 13:20-15:00; 15:20-17:00]

Friday 24 June 2011

Crampit curling at Alexandra, Dunedin, and Gore rinks –
Three games of 10 ends or 100 minutes
[08:30-10:10; 10:30-12:10; Lunch; 12:50-14:30]

Crampit curling at Naseby rink –
Three games of 10 ends or 100 minutes
[09:00-10:40; 11:00-12:40; Lunch; 13:20-15:00]

Hack or Olympic curling at the Naseby indoor rink –
One game of eight ends (approximately 120 minutes)
[15:30-17:30] (perhaps President's Selections v Chairman's Selections)

Jubilee Dinner

18:00 for 19:30	Pre-dinner drinks
19:30 - 20:00	Official speeches
20:00	"Beef & Greens" Jubilee Dinner

Invitation

All Clubs are invited to submit an entry for the Jubilee Bonspiel; it may be possible that Clubs can submit more than one entry but the availability of space for second teams from Clubs will not be known until after the closing date. Entry fees will be determined and advised in due course.

Clubs may be represented by different players on each of the days or part days.

Clubs should also advise the likely numbers for attendance at the Jubilee Dinner.

The Executive looks forward to a positive response from Curling Clubs and their members.

Entries to be This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by the NZCA AGM date (Friday 13 May 2011).