29 Aug 2024 – Teams Hunter Burke and Olivia Russell won the 2024 Junior Men's and Women's titles respectively at the NZ Junior Championships in Dunedin last weekend.

A record eleven teams – six Women's and five Men's – took part in the three-day competition at the Dunedin Ice Stadium in Dunedin.

A preliminary round robin was held to find the playoff contenders. Auckland's Team Isobel Day stole the last end in the final round to claim top billing in the Junior Women's draw from Olivia Russell. Team Tahlia Petersen had two extra-end wins en route to third ranking, and Micky Ng claimed the fourth and final playoff spot.

The semi-final results followed the preliminary round standings, Russell beating Petersen 10-4 and Day heading Ng 8-3. Olivia Russell, Ellie McKenzie, Indi Hepi and Davina Du took charge in the Women's gold medal match to claim the title 7-2, and Team Petersen dominated the bronze medal match to win 11-1.

Only three playoff places were available for the Junior Men. The fifth-round match between Teams Hunter Burke and Darcy Nevill was decisive, Burke taking a tight 6-4 win and going on to an unbeaten run to qualify directly to the final. This was the only loss for Nevill, and his side was a clear second in the rankings. The other three teams finished with identical 1 win - 3 loss records, and it was Team Oscar Cao who made the cut with a superior Draw Shot Challenge.

The round robin rankings again predicted playoff results, with Nevill heading Cao 9-4 in the sole semi-final. Hunter Burke, Jack Millar, Jack Steele and Callum Robson were too consistent for Team Nevill in the final and registered an 8-3 win to claim the title.

The atmosphere at the event was excellent said NZ Curling secretary Lauren Becker.

"Three years ago, NZCA decided to move the venue from Naseby to Dunedin to make it more accessible and cheaper for most athletes, grow the event, and encourage school teams to take part."

"We also encouraged teams to mix up more – try and move away from 'super teams' who might dominate the event – and so make it more interesting and competitive. And full credit to the players, they've embraced it."

"It's been fantastic to see the growth and development of some of the less experienced curlers through the weekend. All of the teams – some of whom didn't know each other – have been encouraging both their own teammates and their opponents."

• Full result details

Final Standings

Women

1.  (6-1)  Olivia Russell, Ellie McKenzie, Indi Hepi, Davina Du
2.  (6-1)  Christina Xu, Trinity Cowie, Erica Lao, Isobel Day (skip)
3.  (4-3)  Tahlia Petersen, Tahlia Jones, Bella Stewart, Olivia Oram
4.  (2-5)  Micky Ng, Maia Collins, Mia Bishop, Lucy Simon, Sophie Norman
5.  (1-4)  Tylah James, Catalina Nock, Amy Hill, Sara Reynolds
6.  (0-5)  Jess Becker, Kaela Freeland, Talika Chalmers, Olivia Duffy

Men

1.  (5-0)  Hunter Burke, Jack Millar, Jack Steele, Callum Robson
2.  (4-2)  Darcy Nevill, William Loe, Harry Ryan, Josh Stevens
3.  (1-4)  Oscar Cao, Abraham Chanwong, Cyrus Wei, Daniel Yang
4.  (1-3)  Ben Kinney, Jonty Russell, Tom Bankshaw, Mason McCreanor
5.  (1-3)  Mekalo Jackson, Zac McKenzie, Joel McGrath, Xavier Connell

Team Tahlia Petersen

Men's champions Callum Robson, Jack Millar, Jack Steele and Hunter Burke (skip)

Women's champions Olivia Russell (skip), Indi Hepi, Davina Du and Ellie McKenzie

Women's silver medallists Erica Lao, Christina Xu, Trinity Cowie and Isobel Day (skip)

Men's silver medallists William Loe, Darcy Nevill (skip), and Harry Ryan

Men's bronze medallists Cyrus Wei, Abraham Chanwong, Daniel Yang and Oscar Cao (skip)

Women's bronze medallists Tahlia Jones, Tahlia Petersen (skip), Bella Stewart and Olivia Oram