New Zealand Curling

30 Sep 2014 – Otago Girls High School and East Otago High School supplied the upset results on home ice to win the Girls' and Boys' finals of the 2014 NZ Secondary School Curling Championships in Dunedin early this week.

OGHS skip Emma Sutherland and her team of Mhairi-Bronté Duncan, Heloise Fitzpatrick, Diana Yeritsyan and Kelsie Mee lined up in the final against Holly Thompson's Maniototo Area School. MAS had recorded one-sided wins against all comers in their round robin games and semi-final.

But it was the Dunedin team who took the early advantage in the gold medal game, covering the pin with their pre-game draw shot and winning the first three ends to put the Maniototo team under unaccustomed pressure, and to take a lead that they did not relinquish. Maniototo replied with a single in the fourth end, but a double to Otago in the next was enough for them to secure their eventual 5-2 win.

24 Sep 2014 – The New Zealand Curling Association has confirmed the National Mixed Doubles and Senior teams to compete in their respective 2015 World Championships in Sochi, Russia next April.

Brett Sargon has also been added to the NZ Men's team for November's 2014 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships in Karuizawa, Japan.

The teams for Sochi are the winning combinations from this year's respective New Zealand Championships, with the addition of Wendy Becker to the Senior Women's team.

Hans Frauenlob, Dan Mustapic, Lorne DePape and Iain Craig

18 Sep 2014 – Hans Frauenlob skipped his side of Dan Mustapic, Lorne DePape and Iain Craig on an undefeated run through the 2014 NZ Senior Championships to win the Men's title.

For 2006 Olympians Frauenlob and DePape this was their third title in the 4 years the event has been run, while it was the second win for DePape.

The side won all of their round robin games comprehensively to qualify directly for the final, where they were taken to the last stone by Peter Becker's 2013 winners.

Frauenlob mised an opportunity to wrap the final up in the sixth end, when an attempted takeout jammed on a stone in the rear of the house. But made the critical shot in the final end to clear two of his opponent's three stones and score one for a 6-2 win.

WCF Annual General Assembly 2014 Photo: Don Chang/WCF

7 Sep 2014 – Members of the World Curling Federation have elected a new board and voted to introduce a new World Junior qualification event, a World Mixed Curling Championship, along with approving a raft of other key rule changes.

The competition and rule changes and board elections took place at the World Curling Federation’s Annual General Assembly held during the 3rd Annual World Curling Congress in Reno, Nevada, USA.

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Mustapic and Jones met Peter Becker and Jessica Smith in Round 1

3 Aug 2014 – Dunedin's Dan Mustapic and Marisa Jones recorded a comprehensive win in the 2014 NZ Mixed Doubles Championship this weekend.

This was the first time they had played together in the event, and the first Mixed Doubles title for either. Dan Mustapic won silver in 2009 and 2010, while Rissy Jones claimed a bronze in 2011.

The triple knockout format saw the winners meet eventual silver medallists Bridget Becker and Scott Becker four times in total, with Mustapic and Jones winning three of these clashes.

Hamish Walker and Ben Smith

20 Jul 2014 – Five teams contested the 2014 NZ Junior Curling Championships over the weekend: two Men's, two Women's, and a young mixed team who were not eligible for medals.

The teams played a full round robin, with additional Men's and Women's games to make up a best-of-three series to determine the respective titles.

Simon Neilson skipped his Maniototo Area School side of Joshua White, Matthew Neilson, Ben Smith and Hunter Walker to the Men's gold medal. The Women's event was won by Eleanor Adviento, Eloise Pointon, Elle Steele and Catherine Greer.