Lord Provost to Open 2018 Strathcona Cup Finisher in Edinburgh

MEDIA RELEASE

Monday 8th January 2018

TOURNAMENT FINALE SET FOR EDINBURGH
LORD PROVOST TO OPEN FINISHER ON 30TH JANUARY

A century-old curling tournament – the Strathcona Cup – seen in Scotland only once every ten years, will end in Edinburgh in January.

Anticipation will be building as teams across Scotland take on the Canadian Tour group, with 80 Edinburgh-based curlers playing the Murrayfield leg. Keen curler Lord Provost Frank Ross will ‘throw’ the first stone of the closing games of the tournament in Edinburgh at Murrayfield Curling Rink on Tuesday 30th January.

Bruce Mouat, recently returned from Canada as the youngest ever skip to win a Grand Slam Crown and a World Junior Gold Medallist (2016), will sweep the Provost’s stone alongside 2007 World Senior Curling Champion Robin Aitken.

It’s an exciting time for curling in Scotland, with the Scots players flying high in the sport; Bruce Mouat became the youngest men’s skip to win a Grand Slam title in Canada in November and Eve Muirhead’s women’s team recently achieved Gold at the European Curling Championship.

Robin Aitken said: “With the Olympics just around the corner and a full house of Scots in the British Team, it’s a fantastic time to welcome such a prominent competition to Edinburgh.

“We have enjoyed a friendly rivalry with our Canadian counterparts at all levels of the sport for many years, so it’s a much-anticipated event in the curling calendar.”

A piper will lead the procession onto the ice at Murrayfield Curling Rink (next to the ice skating rink) to open the three-day competition. Spectators are welcome.

The Right Honourable Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh Frank Ross said, “as someone who has spent many enjoyable hours on the ice, I am honoured to be throwing the first stone at this historic competition.”

The Tour arrives in Edinburgh on Tuesday 30 January – Friday 2 February 2018. These are the deciding days of the Canadians’ three-week’s curling across Scotland. The prize is the Strathcona Cup which has been competed for since 1909 and is currently held by Scotland.

Follow updates from the Edinburgh leg of the Strathcona Cup on Twitter @StrathconaCup

Ends
Notes:

About the Strathcona Cup Tour

A good-natured battle between two of the world’s leading curling nations. It’s a century-old competition which only comes around every five years. This time it’s Scotland’s turn to host 40 Canadian Curlers playing 20 games against 80 Scots at the Murrayfield Curling Rink.

About Curling

Curling is renowned world-wide for its proud history, traditions and its strong sporting friendships.

Following our experience during the British Team’s success at Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, we expect a huge influx of interest in the sport during the 2018 Winter Olympics in February.

The Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC) is the national governing body for curling in Scotland with 12,500 members in over 600 clubs it is one of the largest governing bodies of sport in Scotland. See www.royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org

The Edinburgh Area Committee represents over 1200 members of the RCCC in the City of Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian and Peeblesshire.