NZ Curling

Entries are now open for the 2010 North Island Secondary Schools Curling Championships, to be held during Winter Tournament Week at Paradice Avondale.

"Three titles are up for grabs – Boys, Girls and Mixed," said School Curling co-ordinator Liz Matthews. "A Mixed team must be composed of 2 boys and 2 girls."

Even after the last stones had been played in the final round robin games at Auckland on Sunday 25 July, it was still unclear what the line-up would be when the 2010 Championship rounds started the following week.

The top three in each pool (plus one other) qualify for the A Division championship – but one pool had 3 teams tied for third place.

For the first time in the club was founded in 1996, Auckland Curling Club entered two teams in the Bonspiel called earlier this month.

New Zealand is one of the few countries where curling is still often played in the traditional crampit style. There are regular competitions on artificial ice (indoors at Dunedin and Gore, outdoors at Alexandra and Naseby), and other competitions are played on natural ice when the weather and ice conditions allow.

Two of the three matches completed in the Auckland Secondary Schools curling competition at Paradice Avondale last night were decided on the last stone, including a final shot take-out to score 5, resulting in a one point win.

A record number of teams in this year's Auckland Curling league has created a welcome headache for club organisers.

Club president Peter Taylor says that curlers cannot get enough ice time for teams to play every week. "We now have 20 teams entered in our league", he said. "However, we can only accommodate two rounds of games - 16 teams - on a club night, so some sides are forced to sit out each week".

Schools co-ordinator Liz Matthews advises that entry forms are now available on-line for the 2010 Auckland Secondary Schools Curling Championships. She believes that interest will be high this year, judging by the number of pre-season enquiries.

A record crowd filled the ice rink at Paradice Avondale for Auckland Curling’s public "Have A Go" sessions on Sunday evening. Exposure from TV coverage of the Vancouver Olympics was the key to the increased interest said Club President Peter Taylor.

"We had a lot of people say that they really got their first proper look at the game during the Winter Olympics coverage," said Mr Taylor. "And once they appreciated the skill and the subtleties of curling, people really wanted to try it out for themselves."

Auckland Curling finished its 2009 season with a Mixed Doubles mini-tournament last Sunday, played alongside the final rounds of the Auckland Under-21 Championship at Paradice Avondale.

For the second time in three years the Auckland Under-21 Curling title was decided by a draw to the button. Three teams were locked at the top of the leaderboard at the conclusion of the final round at Paradice Avondale last Sunday evening.