W. Hope, skip; W. Vanderslip, second; W.A. Banister,
third, and W. Williams, lead.
No sport is more closely tied to rural community life than the game of
curling. Small town rinks not only dominated the sport provincially in
those early days, but this particular rink may have helped develop the
style of play we see today across Canada and the world.
The “Four Billies” Curling Rink, W.A. “Bunty” Bannister, W .Hope, W.
Williams, and W. Vanderbilt are credited with originating the “knock
out” style of curling.
Until 1900 curling was strictly an older man's pastime. When these four
“younger gents’ (all named William – a popular name at the time, wanted
to curl they were looked on as upstarts, although they were in their
twenties and thirties. Nobody wanted them; the only way they could curl
was to make up their own foursome, so the famous "Four Billies"
rink was formed.
Curlers played strictly a draw game in those days. These 'youngsters'
figured they could simplify the game by moving a few rocks out of the
house. So the knock-out strategy was born. They proved their point and
became one of the best rinks in Manitoba. In 1904 they won the New York
Life trophy at the MCA bonspiel and were rated among the top rinks each
time they attended.
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