Curling: Old chums enjoy fun and games on ice

Members of the United Arab Curling team Pete "Bin Pete" McCaul (left) and Kelvin "Bin Kelvin" Collins in action at the curling at the Dunedin Ice Stadium this week. Photo by Jane Dawber.

The players are competitive and play hard on the rink. They won three of their first four games. They also play hard off the ice.

They were classmates at Gore High School in the mid 1970s and still enjoy each other's company. They are all aged 51.

The team is skipped by Lowburn farmer and tourist operator Bob Perriam and he is joined by Queenstown real estate agent Kelvin Collins, Queenstown accountant Craig Benington and Southern Soil Solution sales representative Peter McCall, of Dunedin.

This is their sixth New Zealand Masters Games on the curling rink.

"Each Masters Games we come up with a new theme," Perriam said. "I had a trip to Arab countries last year."

They have been Fijians, Frenchmen, and Scotsmen.

"Watch out for the future," Perriam said. "We will have a lot more kinky ideas."

Perriam is adamant that he did not bring the light red Arab headgear back from his overseas trip.

"One of our guy's wives whipped it up for us from old table cloths," he said.

They wore white T-shirts with their names in heavy black lettering on the back: Bin Bob, Bin Kelvin, Bin Craig and Bin Peter.

"We like the camaraderie and like to get into the fever of the Masters Games," Perriam explained.

"Our biggest problem is that we know each so well and we give each other too much of a hard time. "Our strategy this year is to be nice to each other to build our confidence up."