
Feb 24, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2024
CURLING JAMAICA CROWNS NEW MIXED DOUBLES NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Hamilton, ON, Canada – Curling Jamaica crowned new mixed doubles champions at the second annual Jamaica National Team Qualification event at Dundas Valley Golf & Curling Club in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on Saturday February 24, 2024.
Six teams entered the single knockout elimination mixed doubles tournament, with the top two seeds receiving a bye to the semi-final.
In the first round, the 3rd seeded team of Margot Shepherd-Spurgeon and Andrew Walker won their first game when their opponents, 6th seeded Alexandra Marriott and Husani Blaze, exhausted their “thinking time” allowance of 24 minutes. In international competition, teams are held to strict time limits for discussing strategy, and if such time limit is exhausted, their opponents automatically win the game. Also in the first round, the 4th seeded team of Theresa Chen and Ben Kong won a tightly contested game against the 5th seeded team of Melanie Hoo-Fatt and Luke Samuels by a 7-6 score.
Both semi-final matches were a family gathering. Margot Shepherd-Spurgeon and Andrew Walker advanced to the final after scoring an emotional 7-6 victory over the 2nd seeded team of Madeleine Spurgeon (Margot’s daughter) and Don Johnston.
The sibling duo of Stephanie Chen and Justin Chen faced their own mother in the other semi-final. The children prevailed with a 12-1 victory over Theresa Chen and Ben Kong, who conceded defeat after only four ends of play.
In the championship final, team Shepherd-Spurgeon / Walker defeated the top-seeded team of Chen / Chen by an 8-7 score. The game was tied 7-7 after eight ends of play, and Shepherd-Spurgeon / Walker scored the lone point in the extra end to seal the victory.
As a result of being crowned national champions, Shepherd-Spurgeon and Walker have earned the right to represent Jamaica at the next World Championship Qualifying Tournament for mixed doubles in Dumfries, Scotland later this year.
The victory comes about one year after Shepherd-Spurgeon and Walker were defeated in the 2023 National Championship by Madeleine Spurgeon and Ian Robertson.
About Curling Jamaica: Curling Jamaica is the sole governing body of the winter sport of Curling in Jamaica, and currently operates in Ontario, Canada, with corporate registered head offices in Toronto, Ontario and Kingston, Jamaica. Players are based in Canada, Scotland and the United States. For further information about Curling Jamaica, visit www.curlingjamaica.com
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Ben Kong at ben.jamaicacurling@gmail.com
or Ian Robertson at president@curlingjamaica.com