Weekend Results from New Zealand and Denmark

If you've been following the 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games, you will know that Hungary's Gyorgy Nagy and Ildiko Szekeres won the Mixed Doubles tournament. The final standings are here.

Korea won both the men's and women's competitions. Kim Chang Min, Kim Min Chan, Seong Se Hyeon, Seo Young Seon, Oh Eun Su were the men's team who defeated China in the final (here), and Shin Mi Sung, Lee Hyun Jung, Lee Seul Bee, Gim Un Chi, Kim Ji Sun were the women's team, with China again the runners-up (here).

Peter de Boer, Scott Becker, Phil Dowling and Iain Craig finished fourth in the men's event.

Nearer home, in Denmark, the junior men's event in the Golden Danish Junior Open 2011 in Taarnby, the first event in the European Junior Curling Tour, was won by Rasmus Wranå's Swedish team. Norway's Kristine Davanger skipped her team to win the junior women's event.

The details are here, with a great pic of the two winning teams. No Scottish representation in this one, with our top teams involved in squad training this weekend... more about that from me tomorrow.

Pat is Chief Umpire in Naseby

Have you been following the curling results from the 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games at the Maniototo Rink in Naseby? You can find reports, and the links to the results, from this page of the New Zealand Curling Association website. Here's another source for the results.

Royal Club President Pat Edington is the Chief Umpire. You can see him being interviewed in this YouTube video, or just click on the image above. Interesting to see shots of the rink in the video and good to see a couple of Latvian friends (see yesterday's post) Ansis and Dace Regza competing in the Mixed Doubles! Here's a report of play from the Otago Daily News. And this report has a photo of Ansis testing the ice thickness in the rink!

Scottish expats play for New Zealand

Kia ora!

It may still be summer here in Scotland, but it is winter on the other side of the world. New Zealand is set to hold another 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games later this month. The curling competitions will take place in the Maniototo international curling rink in Naseby. There will be men's, women's and mixed doubles events. There's no GB or Scottish teams involved this year, but a well kent expat Scot, Pete de Boer, is set to skip some of the games for New Zealand. Ian Craig, formerly from Troon, is also in the NZ squad. The competing teams and the draw can be found on this page.

Pete has also been selected to represent New Zealand at the Pacific Championships, which will qualify two countries from the region to the World Men's Championship in Basel, March 31 - April 8. This year the Pacific Championships will take place in Nanjing, China, November 19 - 26. Pete's team also contains Sean and Scott Becker and at lead is another Scot, Kenny Thomson, antipodean correspondent for Skip Cottage Curling! I look forward to following how they do. The WCF webpage for the event is here.

Pete has been in New Zealand for more than three years and says that he and his family are well settled and love the country. He says, "It's pretty exciting looking ahead to the Pacifics from a personal perspective, to experience an international event after coming close a few times before! It's going to be a bit strange sliding with a Silver Fern on my back."

I wonder if a Scotland - New Zealand clash might be a prospect to look forward to in Basel?