Curling: Kiwis head for world championship

The New Zealand men's team yesterday made curling history by claiming their first Pacific Championships with a 10-6 win over Japan.

The Kiwis were not rated a chance by most observers entering the competition, alongside seven-times Pacific champions Australia (skipped by Hugh Millikin), and Olympic competitors Japan (skipped by Makato Tsuruga).
However, New Zealand won the round-robin competition with a 5-1 record, and earned their first trip to the Ford world championships with a stirring win over Japan - the third time they had defeated Japan in the competition.

The New Zealand team of Becker (Patearoa), Hans Frauenlob (North Shore) Jimm Allan (Dunedin), Lorne DePape (Te Awamutu) and Darren Carson (Naseby) can now look ahead to the world championships in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, from April 3-12.