New Zealand Curling

Man's champions Iain Craig, Lorne DePape, Dave Watt and Dan Mustapic. Photo © NZCA

18 Sep 2018 – Team Dan Mustapic won their fifth straight NZ Senior Men's Championship undefeated last weekend, but they needed to warm into their task.

Mustapic found himself facing six counters as he lined up his last shot in the first game of the tournament against Ewan Kirk's Naseby side. The game then went to an extra end after an attempted Mustapic takeout in the eighth end clipped a guard.

Their second match against Pete Becker was also close through the first five ends, before a three-pointer in the 6th broke the deadlock.

EGGS v Long Bay. Photo NZCA / Liz Matthews

6 Sep 2018 – Epsom Girls Grammar Knock Out struck form at the business end of the tournament to win their North Island Secondary Schools Championship at Paradice Avondale this week.

In round robin play the side finished fourth of the five teams to claim the last semifinal berth.

But Jasman Vir Kaur, Katrina Shepard, Sava Youssef and Shreya Nair peaked at the right time to beat their schoolmates EGGS Squad Curl Out 5-2 in their semi, and then claim the gold medal 9-3 over Long Bay Silver in the final.

Brent Laing and Jennifer Jones on their way to gold. Photo © Neil Kerr / Winter Games NZ

30 Aug 2018 – Brent Laing and Jennifer Jones claimed the gold medal for Canada in the Audi quattro Winter Games NZ Mixed Doubles curling tournament in Naseby this afternoon.

They beat Scotland’s Jayne Stirling and Fraser Kingan 9-5 in the final.

The tournament was also the first event of the northern season’s World Curling Tour, and was the first WCT event to ever be held in the southern hemisphere.

Semifinals in progress. Photo © Neil Kerr / Winter Games NZ

30 Aug 2018 – Scotland and Canada won this morning’s semi-finals at the Audi quattro Winter Games Mixed Doubles curling tournament in Naseby and will face off in the gold medal match this afternoon.

Scotland beat Norway in a high scoring game. The Scots took four points in the third end, and then a crucial steal of two in the next when Maia and Magnus Ramsfjell could find no way to the button for Norway.

When their last shot in the seventh end wrecked on a guard, the teams shook hands with the score at 12-7.

Scotland's Fraser Kingan and Jayne Stirling. Photo © Iain McGregor / Winter Games NZ via AP

29 Aug 2018 – Scotland and USA won tonight’s quarterfinals at the Audi quattro Winter Games Mixed Doubles curling tournament in Naseby to progress to tomorrow’s medal rounds.

The Scots won a tight match 5-4 against the local favourites, the New Zealand 2 side of Bridget and Sean Becker.

The Kiwis had a tough shot to tie the game in the final end, needing to score two with a thin in-off to dislodge a Scottish stone in the centre of the house.

New Zealand's Bridget Becker and Sean Becker vs Norway. Photo © Iain McGregor / Winter Games NZ via AP

29 Aug 2018 – Canada and Norway claimed the top spots in their pools to qualify direct to tomorrow’s semi-finals in the Audi quattro Winter Games Mixed Doubles curling tournament in Naseby this week.

Scotland, New Zealand 2, USA and Australia 1 will contest the right to meet them in tonight’s quarter-finals.

Team Canada had secured the top spot in Pool A before last night’s penultimate round.

Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing. Photo © NZCA

29 Aug 2018 – It's not every day we host two of the world's best and most well-known curlers in New Zealand.

Between them, Brent Laing and Jennifer Jones have won 6 Scotties (Canadian Women's Championships), 3 Briers (Canadian Men's), 5 World Championships, and an Olympic Gold medal (Jones in 2014).

So we asked them if they'd like to chat – and they said "Sure!"

Ben and Jess Smith in the Championship Final. Photo © NZCA

13 Aug 2018 – NZ Under-21 representatives Jessica and Ben Smith overcame five-time winners Bridget and Sean Becker to win their first NZ Mixed Doubles title in Naseby last weekend. They did it the hard way, overcoming a 4 point deficit in the opening end to triumph 6-5 in a very tense final.

The Smiths scored singles in the next four ends to draw level, but the turning point came in the sixth end.

Bridget Becker's last-stone hit to score a single rolled to the very edge of the house. Both umpires took some time with the biter stick before confirming that the stone was out of play, and so the end was blanked. Under Mixed Doubles rules that also meant they lost the hammer.