4 Jul 2025 – There were familiar faces on the podium after the NZ Men's and Women's Curling Championships in Naseby last weekend. Sean Becker skipped his Men's team to his 13th title, while sister Bridget led her side to claim her 16th Women's championship.

Bridget's Team GT - with Holly Thompson, Rachael Pitts, Ruby Kinney and Natalie Thurlow - were dominant through the competition, with only one of their five wins going into the last end.

In the Women's final they faced the young side of Olivia Russell, Ellie McKenzie, Tahlia Petersen and Tylah James, who had earned their first final with a comfortable 2 v 3 semifinal win over Jessica Smith's team.

Behind early, Team Russell fought their way back to trail by two points after five ends. Team GT blanked the sixth and scored three in the next to secure the title with a 10-5 victory.

Bridget Becker was delighted with her team's focus. "They played great and kept at it," she said after the game. "Never dropped their heads and got there at the end!"

The Men's competition had an early upset when Sam Flanagan's four beat Anton Hood's defending champions in the opening round. Team Hood had a further setback when they suffered a second one-point loss to Peter de Boer in their second game. From that point they were dependent on other results going their way, and a solid win over Sean Becker wasn't enough. In a major upset, they sensationally failed to make the top-three cut for the playoffs.

The Becker and de Boer sides both finished the round robin with a 5-1 record, Becker's win in the head-to-head qualifying them directly for the final. Team de Boer ran Flanagan out of stones in the last end to win their semi-final.

The Men's final was another tight encounter. The teams were level after five ends, but Team Becker used last-stone advantage in the even ends perfectly to run out 8-5 winners.

Ruby Kinney and Ben Smith were selected by their fellow competitors as the winners of the Wendy Becker Sportsmanship Award.

Both champions earned the right to represent New Zealand at October's Pan Continental Championships, where they will compete with the top sides outside Europe for the five places available at their respective World Championships. The teams to compete at the Olympic Qualification Events later this year will be confirmed nu the National selectors.

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• Tournament History – Women | Men
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Final Standings

Men

1. Sean Becker, Scott Becker, Dobbie, Jared Palanuik, and Jimmy Becker
2. Peter de Boer, Kenny Thomson, Gordon Hay, and Phil Dowling
3. Will Becker, Sam Flanagan, Jack Steele, and Hunter Burke
4. Anton Hood, Hunter Walker, Ben Smith, and Brett Sargon
5. Jed Nevill, Darcy Nevill, William Loe, and Ben Kinney
6. Garion Long, William Sheard, Benjamin Frew, and Kieran Grieve
7. Tom Bankshaw, Jonty Russell, Mason McCreanor, and Xavier Connell

Women

1. Team GT: Bridget Becker, Holly Thompson, Rachael Pitts, Ruby Kinney, and Natalie Thurlow
2. Olivia Russell, Ellie McKenzie, Tahlia Petersen, and Tylah James
3. Jess Smith, Grace Apuwai-Bishop, Sophie Tran, and  Temika Apuwai-Bishop
4. Michelle Bong, Jennifer Jack, Bella Stewart, and Talika Chalmers
5. Trinity Cowie, Isobel Day, Mia Bishop, and Jess Becker

Wendy Becker Sportsmanship Awards

• Ruby Kinney and Ben Smith