Jimmy Welsh – Curler

Jimmy Welsh is synonymous with the “running game” in Canadian curling. He was one of the finest hitters curling has ever seen, back in the days when curling teams stuck together.

His foursome of brother Alex Welsh, Jock Reid, and Harry Monk won the Canadian championship with a perfect 9-and-0 record in the Brier in Saint John, NB, in 1947. They curled as a team for 15 years, also going to the Brier in Edmonton in 1954.

Jimmy had two previous Brier appearances, as a second for John Douglas in 1934, and his first try as a skip in 1937.

He was born in Scotland in 1910, came to Canada in his early years, and started to curl at the Deer Lodge club in Winnipeg in 1925. In 1975, he was honored at Deer Lodge for 50 years of continuous club curling.

Welsh won the Grand Aggregate title in the MCA bonspiel three times – in 1937, 1949, and 1952. He won the premier Birks trophy five times (in 1934, 1936, 1937, 1952 and 1953), and the Eaton trophy twice (1949 and 1952).

Welsh also served the administration of curling. He was president of his Deer Lodge club in 1941-42, and president of the Manitoba Curling Association in 1964-65.  He was made a Honourary Life Member of Deer Lodge in 1963 and the Manitoba Curling Association in 1966.

He was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 1983 as a curler.

Jimmy was Inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Hame in 1988 as a curler.  He and his team were inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall Of Fame in 1997 in the team category.

Last modified : Feb 20, 2006, 10:00 am