The Strathcona Cup Tour returns to Canada in January, with male curlers from Scotland taking on curlers from all 10 provinces, in the oldest international curling event in the world, which first took place in 1902.
Hugh McCarrel
“The Scots have selected the 60 curlers who will be coming to Canada,” reports Hugh McCarrel, Canadian Chairman of the 2013 Strathcona Cup Tour. “They have been split into three tours of 20.”
Click for information on the Scottish curlers who are coming to Eastern Canada
Bill Duncan
Bill Duncan, President of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (Scotland’s curling governing body), will be touring with the Scots and will be splitting his time equally among the tours.
Mr. Duncan says “The Strathcona Cup Tour 2013 promises to be one of the busiest and challenging of all tours, with curlers from all walks of life coming together to compete in the true spirit of curling. We will be heading off determined to bring the Strathcona Cup back home with us”
The Scots arrive in Canada on January 9th and will attend opening banquets in Halifax, Ottawa, and Vancouver, representing the three tours – East, Central and West.
“For the first time, all ten provinces are included in the tour,” says McCarrel. “The East tour after leaving Halifax, will head to St. John’s, Newfoundland, for their first-ever visit.”
The Tour’s last visit to PEI was in 2003, while Roddie MacLean and Jim Farquharson from the Cornwall Curling Club went to Scotland for the event in January 2009. This time, the Scots will be curling at four PEI clubs:
The Charlottetown Curling Complex on January 18 at 4 pm,
the Montague Curling Club on January 19 at 10 am,
the Cornwall Curling Club on January 19 at 3 pm, and
the Crapaud Community Curling Club on January 20 at 10 am.
Sixteen male curlers are required at each club to compete against them. Those interested in playing in the event at one club are asked to contact Jim Farquharson at 566-2489 or thundercove@eastlink.ca
All those accepted to play will be expected to:
– Have a club pin to give to a Scottish curler
– Buy a drink for a Scottish Curler
– Pay a fee (approximately $40) to cover a meal and curling
Besides the curling, a number of off-ice activities are planned, including dinner and entertainment at the Charlottetown Curling Complex beginning at 7 pm on the Friday, lunch following the curling at Montague on Saturday, dinner and entertainment at the Cornwall Curling Club beginning at 7 pm on Saturday, and a light lunch following the Sunday curling at Crapaud, before the Scots depart for Moncton NB.
The 2013 tour wraps up with a closing banquet at the Burlington Golf and Country Club on January 31st.
The Strathcona Cup champion is determined based on the cumulative results of all the games played, in this case, 434 games in over 100 Clubs. McCarrel reports that over 1,700 Canadians will participate as opposition and hosts for the Scots.
Click to visit Tour website, which will include a diary of the Scots’ trip to Canada