Murray Macneill
Encyclopedia
Dr. Murray Macneill was a curler from Nova Scotia
. He is the first skip to win the Brier, back in 1927. He began curling in his back yard while he was a boy in Saint John, New Brunswick
. He was always competitive and went on to become one of the top curlers in Maritime Canada. After he became a professor at Dalhousie University, Macneill was selected to be skip of the Nova Scotia team at the first Canadian Men's Curling Championship, held in the first week of March 1927 at the Granite Curling Club in Toronto.
Curling games had a marathon aspect at that time, being of 14 ends duration. Macneill and his team started well, winning four of their first five games, and then, in the last draw, came back from an eight point deficit to capture the championship, which, before the next year's event came to be known as The Brier.1
Macneill returned to the Brier in 1930, 1932 and 1936. Macneill was also a first cousin of author Lucy Maud Montgomery
.
1 "The Brier", Bob Weeks, ISBN 0-7715-7544-0
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. He is the first skip to win the Brier, back in 1927. He began curling in his back yard while he was a boy in Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
. He was always competitive and went on to become one of the top curlers in Maritime Canada. After he became a professor at Dalhousie University, Macneill was selected to be skip of the Nova Scotia team at the first Canadian Men's Curling Championship, held in the first week of March 1927 at the Granite Curling Club in Toronto.
Curling games had a marathon aspect at that time, being of 14 ends duration. Macneill and his team started well, winning four of their first five games, and then, in the last draw, came back from an eight point deficit to capture the championship, which, before the next year's event came to be known as The Brier.1
Macneill returned to the Brier in 1930, 1932 and 1936. Macneill was also a first cousin of author Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE , called "Maud" by family and friends and publicly known as L.M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Anne of Green Gables was an immediate success...
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| Brier | W | L | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 6 | 1 | 1st |
| 1930 | 4 | 5 | T4th |
| 1932 | 4 | 3 | T3rd |
| 1936 | 1 | 8 | 9th |
| Totals | 15 | 17 |
1 "The Brier", Bob Weeks, ISBN 0-7715-7544-0