THE STRATHCONA CUP HISTORY
       CANADA vs SCOTLAND

   www.strathconacup100.ca

The Strathcona Cup was 100 years old when it was presented to the winning team, Scotland, when the competition was last played in Canada in January 2003.  The last Canadian team to tour Scotland was in 2009 which was the 100th anniversary of the first Canadian Tour to Scotland to play for the Strathcona Cup. The Competition is the oldest international curling event in the world and the Cup is probably the most famous in all the history of the roaring game.

In the winter of 1902-03, a party of Scots from the Royal Caledonia Club toured Canada, playing against Canadian and American rinks for the Royal Caledonia Tankard.  In order that the loser in this competition might have a tangible memento of this event, Lord Strathcona, who was then President of the Royal Club, provided a second trophy.  In 1909 the Scots lost and won the trophy.  They took possession of this trophy which has since become famous as the Strathcona Cup. 

Donald Smith, born in 1820, came from Dufftown on the upper reaches of the River Spey in Scotland to Canada in 1838.  He carved out a distinguished career with the Hudson’s Bay Company, eventually becoming its chief executive officer in Montreal.  During the Riel Rebellion, he persuaded the Red River people to begin negotiations with the Canadian government.  In 1871 he became a member of the Canadian Parliament, and later authored the Smith Liquor Act, which prohibited sale and use of alcohol in the North West Territories.  To enforce this Act, his recommendation resulted in the creation of the North West Mounted Police.  As a founding member of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, he risked his fortune during the five tumultuous years of its construction but was rewarded in 1885 when he drove the last spike.

He returned to Great Britain and for these and other services, Smith was appointed to the House of Lords as Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal.  In 1896 he became the High Commissioner of Canada to Great Britain until his death in 1914.

 The Strathcona Cup was fashioned by Messrs. Sorley, Glasgow, silversmith to the patron of the Royal Caledonia Curling Club (RCCC), His Majesty the King.  It is cup-shaped in form, with two handles and measures about 20 inches in height and 14 inches in diameter.  The decoration, which is chiefly Celtic in character, is artistically applied.  The arms of His Lordship and the insignia of the Club are chased in a bas-relief on the opposite sides of the body of the Cup, which is screwed to a silver octagonal base of eight panels.  On the more important of these are chased in bold relief representations of Harvey’s famous Scottish curling scene, a Canadian curling scene, and also views of Scotland’s two historical castles, Edinburgh and Stirling.  On two minor panels are shown a beaver and a maple tree, and a scotch fir with thistle foreground representing Canada and Scotland.  The two remaining panels are reserved, one for the winner’s names and the other for the inscription which, coupled with the inscription on the rim of the Cup, reads: “Presented by Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal to the Royal Caledonia Curling Club, to commemorate his Presidency of the Club and of the first visit of the Canadian Curling team to Scotland, in January, 1909.”

While play is scheduled every five years, alternately in Canada and Scotland, the tours have occurred somewhat irregularly due to the two wars and other factors.  Recently the Canadian touring team has consisted of forty curlers split into 2 groups which compete in northern and southern Scotland during the month of January, 2009 culminating in Edinburgh.  The Scottish touring team to Canada for 2013 will split their sixty curlers into separate Eastern, Central and Western Tour groups.  They will arrive in our country on January 9^th for a series of games across the country and finally all tour groups will meet in Toronto on January 31st at the end of their weeks long curling tour.  The touring teams will compete generally twice daily and will be locally hosted at lunches, dinners and special events.  The winner is determined by comparing the scoring totals of all of the matches (200 to 400 games) – Scotland vs. Canada.  The results of the competition to date are:

Year                                                                     Winner

1903   1^st Scottish team to Canada                  Scotland

1909   1^st Canadian team to Scotland               Canada

1912   2^nd Scottish team to Canada                  Canada

1921   2^nd Canadian team to Scotland               Scotland

1923   3^rd Scottish team to Canada                   Canada

1926   3^rd Canadian team to Scotland               Scotland

1938   4^th Scottish team to Canada                  Canada

1949   5^th Scottish team to Canada                  Scotland

1950   4^th Canadian team to Scotland               Scotland

1957   6^th Scottish team to Canada                  Canada

1960   5^th Canadian team to Scotland               Scotland

1965   7^th Scottish team to Canada                  Canada

1970   6^th Canadian team to Scotland               Scotland

1975   8^th Scottish team to Canada                  Canada

1979   7^th Canadian team to Scotland               Scotland

1983   9^th Scottish team to Canada                  Canada

1988   8^th Canadian team to Scotland              Canada

1993   10^th Scottish team to Canada                Scotland

1998   9^th Canadian team to Scotland              Canada

2003   11^th Scottish team to Canada                Scotland      

2009   10^th Canadian team to Scotland             Canada

2013   12^th Scottish team to Canada                Scotland "Lennoxville January 27th, 2013"

2018   13^th Canadian team to Scotland             Canada