NZ Teams & Events

27 Nov 2010 – Nelson Ede, the Development Officer at Maniototo Curling International, is investigating the possibility of a National Curling League for the 2011 season.

"Currently, there are few opportunities for NZ curlers to play outside their regular leagues," he says. "Dunedin hosts the Wendorf and, for the first time last year, their summer spiel. And that's all there is apart from the Nationals."

"If we want to improve the skills and depth of curling in New Zealand, then our athletes need regular competition against the best in the country."

Kenny Thomson and Warren Dobson are all concentration on Warren Kearneys' stone

23 Nov 2010 – New Zealand will be coming home empty-handed from the 2010 Pacific Curling Championships in Korea.

Following their semifinal losses yesterday to dash hopes of 2011 World Championship qualification, both NZ teams lost their bronze medal matches today – the Men to Australia and the Women to Japan.

The Kiwi women held their own for much of the match against the favoured Japanese, but a triple to Japan in the 5th end did the damage to NZ and they went down 4-7.

The National Selectors stuck with a winning formula when they announced the New Zealand Under-21 Curling teams at the conclusion of the National Training camp in Naseby this week.

The Men's team that won the recent NZ U-21 championship (Sam Miller, Michael Smith, Willie Miller, Liam Dowling and Tim McMillan) was confirmed as the National Men's team. The winning Women's team of Chelsea Farley, Thivya Jeyaranjan, Tessa Farley and Emily Whelan will be joined by Katie Bauer, who is also in the Open Women's team.

A deciding match was required in the best-of-three finals of the 2010 Pub Charity NZ Mixed Doubles Championship, decided at Naseby 17-19 September.

Defending champions Sean and Bridget Becker came back from one down to defeat the tough challenge of Dan Mustapic and Brydie Donald. The contest was a genuine nail-biter from start to finish – the first two games of the finals were single-point margins, and the decider came down to the last stone.

The World Curling Federation has just released the 2010 WCF Rule Book.

To assist all curlers, there is also a version showing the differences between the 2008 and 2010 Rule Books.

The New Zealand Open and Senior Men's and Women's curling teams for the 2010/11 season were confirmed at a Special Meeting of the NZ Curling Association's Executive on Friday 16 July.

NZCA Chairman Robert Rutherford advised that the Executive supported and endorsed the decisions of the Selectors. The Convenor of National Selectors, Darren Carson, then announced the following teams:

Defending champions Sean Becker and Bridget Becker retained their stranglehold on the New Zealand Curling Championship titles when their teams won their respective Men's and Women's titles in Naseby this weekend.

Sean has now skipped the Men's champions every year since 2007, and Bridget's winning sequence has continued unbroken since the first separate Women's championship in 2005.

NZ Mixed Fours

Pre-tournament favourites Kenny Thomson, Brydie Donald, Lorne DePape and Marisa Jones confirmed their class to win the 2010 New Zealand Mixed Fours championship in Auckland last weekend.

They were the only unbeaten team going into the final against Team Hill (Len Hill, Christine Bewick, Len McSaveney, Beth Gibbs) and took charge late in the match to record a 6-3 victory.

L-R: 2010 World Mixed Doubles Curling silver medallists Sean Becker, Bridget Becker and coach Scott Becker. Photo © WCF / Goran Roxin

25 Apr 2010 – The New Zealand team of Sean Becker and Bridget Becker has won the silver medal at the 2010 World Mixed Doubles Championship in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

The unbeaten Russian team beat the Kiwis 9-7 in a thriller, the final going to an extra end after the scores were tied after the regulation eight ends.

The second placing to the siblings from Central Otago's Ranfurly Curling Club represents a milestone for NZ Curling. It is the first medal of any colour won by a New Zealand team at a World Curling Championship.