Winter Games NZ podium
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L-R: Korey Dropkin and Sarah Anderson (USA, bronze), Brent Laing and Jennifer Jones (Canada, gold) and Fraser Kingan and Jayne Stirling (Scotland, silver). Photo Neil Kerr / Winter Games NZ |
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L-R: Korey Dropkin and Sarah Anderson (USA, bronze), Brent Laing and Jennifer Jones (Canada, gold) and Fraser Kingan and Jayne Stirling (Scotland, silver). Photo Neil Kerr / Winter Games NZ |
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!"
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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.
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Anton Hood at 2017 Pacific-Asia Championship. Photo © © WCF / Céline Stucki |
7 Aug 2018 – The New Zealand Curling selectors have confirmed the teams to compete at November's Pacific-Asia Championships in the Republic of Korea, and January's World Junior B Championships in Finland.
The National Men's team is Scott Becker, Warren Dobson, Anton Hood and Simon Neilson.
The Pacific-Asia Championships 2018 will be held at the same venue that hosted this year's Olympic Curling tournament in Gangneung, Korea.
For the first time in 25 years, no National Women's team has been named.
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Hamish Walker, Sean Becker and Warren Dobson. Photo © NZCA |
10 Jul 2018 – Sean Becker won his 10th NZ Men's Championships last weekend as he and his team of Scott Becker, Warren Dobson and Hamish Walker defended their 2017 title with a 7-5 win against Team Peter de Boer in the final.
This milestone achievement was also Scott Becker's 8th win in his brother's team, and the 7th for Warren Dobson.
Bridget Becker is only just behind Sean in the title standings. She clocked up her 9th NZ Women's Championship when she skipped Natalie Thurlow, Abby Pyle and Eloise Pointon to an 8-4 victory over Team Jessica Smith in their final.
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NZ Mixed Champions 2018. Photo © NZCZA / Holly Gosse |
6 Jun 2018 – Dave Watt, Brittany Taylor, Lorne DePape and Glenys Taylor won the year's first national title, staying undefeated to claim the 2018 NZ Mixed Curling Championship in Auckland over Queen's Birthday Weekend.
They beat Team Garion Long 11-5 in Monday evening's final to claim the trophy in a convincing display.
Seven teams played in two pools through the qualifying stages.