Winter games: Last-gasp wins for New Zealand, New Zealand A

New Zealand and New Zealand A had 6-5 wins over their Australian counterparts in the Winter Games curling mixed doubles in Naseby on Sunday night.

Both wins were achieved with steals in the last end.

''That was tight all the way through,'' New Zealander Natalie Campbell said.

''They played really well, and we played better in that game than our first. There was really good curl, and that helped.''

China impressed with its 12-5 win over Japan in the other match.

Yesterday, New Zealand A produced a top performance to beat England 12-2, and Australia picked up its second win, beating Japan 8-4.

Campbell and Hans Frauenlob faced their second consecutive tough transtasman battle, taken to an extra end by Australia A before squeaking home 8-7.

In the men's fours yesterday, New Zealand started well against Olympic contender Japan in the feature match of the morning session.

Some impressive shot-making gave New Zealand a 7-2 lead at the fifth end break. However, an error-free fightback by Japan tied the game at 8-8 after the regulation 10 ends.

In a thrilling finish, New Zealand skip Peter de Boer found just enough room with his last stone to secure the single he needed for the win.

South Korea beat Australia 9-8 in another last-stone thriller, and China was too strong for New Zealand A, winning 8-4.

On Sunday night, China beat Australia 10-3, South Korea beat Japan 6-4 and New Zealand beat New Zealand A 9-4.

South Korea and New Zealand are unbeaten after three rounds of the men's competition. China has two wins and Japan one, while Australia and New Zealand A have yet to register a win.

Curling continues at the Maniototo International Rink today. The semifinals and finals are on Friday.

Add a Comment