A small silver cup almost hidden among various bottles of ''anti-freeze'' for competitors was the reason behind a mid-winter battle on the ice at Naseby yesterday.
Conditions were perfect for contesting the Baxter Cup, one of New Zealand's oldest sporting trophies.
Otago Central skip Peter McMillan, of Naseby, was modest about the likelihood his side would make it four successive wins.
''I wouldn't say I was confident; we just really front up and do our best. It is a fairly important trophy to get, though.''
His team included ''a couple of farmers. a forestry worker, a grader driver and painter'' and the club ended up retaining bragging rights, winning the cup on countback, on points.
Otago Central, Hamiltons and Ranfurly all finished the day's competition with four wins, but Otago Central had 110 points, Hamiltons 93 and Ranfurly 84.
Naseby council president Jock Scott said the ice was perfect and the sun shone most of the day, making way for a few ''errant flakes'' of snow later on in the afternoon.
The ice, a depth of 125mm, held up well during the tournament.
Several female curlers were among the 88 taking part in the Baxter Cup, including Stacey Herd, and first, and only woman elected on to the Naseby Curling Club.
She was introduced to the sport by her grandfather Stuart Hore, of Naseby and loves competing on natural ice.
''Taking part in a national bonspiel - that's the best thing in the entire planet,'' she said.
The Baxter Cup was presented to the Dunedin Curling Club by founding member David Baxter, who arrived in New Zealand in 1856 from Blairgrove, Perthshire.
When the club disbanded in 1895, the cup was passed on to other Naseby clubs and later to the council as an annual interclub trophy.
It is three years since the Baxter Cup was last contested.
