The enthusiasts behind Curlingkanalen should get a lot of traffic to their site this weekend. They are supplying a results service through Cup Online, and a live feed of some of the games in the second Curling Champions Tour event of the season, the Radisson SAS Oslo Cup.In the men's event, the twenty-five team lineup includes the GB Olympic squad, skipped by David Murdoch, see here. Mike McEwen from Canada and John Shuster from the USA have travelled to take part in this one alongside many of the top European teams.
Murdoch's first opposition is Sweden's Mathias Mabergs tomorrow afternoon.
The teams play a round robin in four groups of five. I'm puzzled a little on how we get to quarterfinals with this arrangement, but all will no doubt become clear. In contrast to Baden, there is apparently no 3rd-4th playoff, the losing teams in the semifinals will both be ranked 3rd. Get to the quarterfinals though and you are in the money.
The twenty women's teams pay a lower entry fee and play for a smaller prize fund than do the men in their parallel competition. Eve Muirhead's GB team is in the draw, and there's other Scottish interest. Sarah Reid (with Kerry Barr, Barbara McFarlane and Laura Kirkpatrick) and Gillian Howard (with Kay Adams, Linsey Spence and Sarah Macintyre) bring their SIS 'Elite Squad' teams to the event. All three of these teams are on the ice today (Thursday 24) at 13.10 pm local time.
Gail Munro is back in the frontline too, with Lyndsay Wilson and Kerry Adams. Canadian expat Alison Mather, who is studying in Glasgow and playing regularly with the Reform Club, joins the Munro team. Their first game is tomorrow.
Two Canadian teams skipped by Jennifer Jones and by Jill Mouzar are in the mix this weekend, as is Anette Norberg's Swedish side.
I think I will be looking for the results here AND here in the first instance.
The Champions Tour website is here.
The live feed can be found here. As I write this, the site is replaying the 2008 women's final between Kelly Wood and Anette Norberg. I understand that Logan Gray will be doing commentary again this weekend.The site has a 'chat window' too for which you need to register. Anyone else remember the happy days of curlingarena?
