Espanola Curling Club continues long Baxter Cup winning streak 

ESPANOLA-LITTLE CURRENT—The 100th edition of the Baxter Cup, a friendly curling bonspiel between the communities of Little Current and Espanola that outdates the famed Brier by three years, was captured once again by the Espanola teams. The final tally saw Espanola dominate the tournament by a 21-point margin.

Things were looking positive for the Little Current Curling Club hopefuls after a first game blowout, but the Espanola curlers went home after the full five Little Current games with a three-point lead. The Baxter Cup comprises 10 games, five in each community.

Following the first game, the full Espanola contingent was escorted into the Little Current Curling Club through a tribute salute of raised brooms of the Little Current curlers. The same ceremony was conducted the next day in Espanola.

Following the entry, a dinner featuring the popular roast beef of Max Burt (of The Burt Farm) was held in the curling club lounge, where each rink was introduced by their respective skips and the club regaled by each with a joke (most somewhat unsuitable for a family newspaper, but all in good fun).

The head table consisted of Espanola Trustees Don Farquhar and Dave Gallant, Little Current Trustees Ron McQuarrie and Mike Wall, Al Emiry, the president of the Espanola Club and then Joe Cooper, sitting in for the president of the Little Current Curling Club, Margot Bickell, who was busy in the kitchen helping prepare the meal.

Longtime curling patriarch John Hodder of Little Current was honoured with a lifetime achievement award, presented by the trustees of the Baxter Cup and he provided a short history of the Baxter Cup.

George Baxter, a travelling salesman originally from Quebec City, settled in Little Current after marrying an Island girl, Mildred Kingsborough, where he worked in her father’s hardware store. An avid curler, he donated the Baxter Cup in 1925. 

The friendly competition between the two communities is said to have begun in the upstairs hallways of the Mansion House (now the Anchor Inn) with frozen “thunder mugs” serving as the rocks. By all accounts care was taken not to damage the said chamber pots. Apparently, no clear winner of that engagement could be determined—so it was decided to settle the matter of curling superiority on more official terms.

The first journeys between the local clubs began by invitation in 1925 and travelling was by train and the two teams journeyed with symbolic rocks positioned on the cow catcher at the front of the engine, later to be paraded through the town to the respective curling clubs. Stones were also said to be heated ahead of the travel by frigid rail so that the men had a warm place to perch for the trip.

The Baxter Cup has been played continuously since that storied beginning, including through the Great Depression, the Second World War and even COVID. “We always found a way to play the games,” said Mr. McQuarrie, who noted the clubs returned to their roots playing outside during the pandemic.

A booklet commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Baxter Cup included messages from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, local MPP Mike Mantha and the presidents of the respective curling clubs.

“I would like to congratulate the athletes participating and wish them the best of luck,” wrote Prime Minister Trudeau. “I would like to thank the organizers for their hard work in ensuring the success of this event, year after year.”

“Many thanks to the communities of Espanola and Little Current for keeping this wonderful Northern Ontario tradition vibrant and relevant for the current generation of curling fans,” wrote Premier Ford. “Tournaments such as this bring the community together, delight curling fans and inspire people to take up the sport.”

“As we celebrate this historic occasion, let us honour the past, cherish the present, and look forward to many more years of exciting competition and cherished memories,” wrote Mr. Mantha. “Congratulations once again on this incredible achievement.”

“The story of the Baxter Cup tells the tale of the history of curling and the history of our two proud communities coming together for the past 100 years,” reads a message from the trustees. “In keeping this tradition alive in the manner that George Baxter intended in the first presentation of the cup in 1925, we keep alive the memories of the curlers, the challenges they have overcome and the friendships that have been forged and maintained over the years in the annual awarding of this venerable trophy.”

That camaraderie was on full display during the dinners, as conversations hummed and glasses tinkled in raised in tribute toasts filled the evening.

Following dinner, Piper Al Blondin of Manitowaning led the teams out onto the ice, where Little Current youth curler Ember McCullough threw out the ceremonial first rock.

At the end of the weekend, it was Espanola who once again won the day. The tally of total wins, so far, is not clear, but then who is counting? Well, so low key has been the competition down through the years that some of the winners have been lost to the sands of time, specifically for 1932, 1935, 1940, 1941, 1952, 1954-1960, 1962-1966, and 1972.

This year’s teams included: Espanola, team 1, Dave Gallant, Jamie Perlin, Marc Lalonde and Alvin Punkinnen; team 2, Don Farquhar, Keith Stringer, Jeff Sheppard and Mike Dubreuil; team 3, Bill Lewis, Jeff Mooney, Al Emiry and Dennis Shepitka; team 4, Blake Roque, Everett Eadie, Daniel Emiry and Patrick Ramsay; team 5 Dave Cutler, Don Hache, Marvin Tilson and Don Fraser. Spares included Logan Emiry. Little Current’s contingent included: team 1, Joe Cooper, Kyle Chandler, Duane Deschamps and John Hodder; team 2, Mike Wall, Ray Beaudry, Gord Bickell and Ron Rosborough; team 3, Rob Norris, Murray McDonald, Sean O’Hare and Dale Baker; team 4, Jordan Chandler, Jack Ferguson, Dr. Roy Jeffery and Evan Farquhar; team 5, Ron McQuarrie, Jim Bickell, Corey Karn and Barry Barnes. Spares were Richard Glaude and Bill Orr.