Fun ‘N’ Fast 020 101 0x 4
Stavanger Dental 303 000 2 8
This make-up game from draw #1 was played recently; clearly the Juniors (on the eve of their Provincial Championship) weathered the Christmas Season in better shape than the Seniors. 3-counts in the first and 3rd ends (the first a steal) were all the Stavanger Dental foursome needed to take the victory. Fun ‘N’ Fast, who were in third place, fought back to 6-4 after 6 ends, but a deuce by the Juniors in the 7th end put the come-back out of reach. The loss dropped Fun ‘N’ Fast to 5-3 and a game out of the playoff position that they have held for every week of the RE/MAX SuperLeague Season to this point.
Colin Thomas Men’s Team 102 202 x 7
Shelley Hardy Women’s Team 010 010 x 2
Colin Thomas Men’s Team needed a win to keep their hopes to finish in first place alive. It was a hot and cold night for their opposing skip, Shelley Hardy. She won hammer from one of the best teams in the Province at drawing the button ….. then crashed a guard throwing a last rock hit in the first end. In the 2nd end, Hardy made a long outturn raise takeout with hammer to tie the game. In the 3rd end, the Thomas foursome caught a break leading to a deuce when the first skip’s rock unexpectedly rattled rocks in front of the rings to their advantage. That appeared to rattle the opposition, and Hardy was long on a draw to the 4-foot circle against 2 in the 4th end giving up a pivotal steal of a pair making the score 5-1. After another pair in the 6th end, the final score was 7-2 (the same as the won/lost record for the Thomas foursome). To finish in first, Team Thomas has to win-out and hope that Team Rowsell loses two of their last 4 games (Rowsell’s games in the last two draws are against women’s teams with a combined record of 6-14).
John Sheppard Men’s Team 020 201 01 6
Therapeutic Services Physiotherapy 002 020 10 5
This was a pre-play of a January 20 game. Therapeutic Services Physiotherapy was predicted last draw to finish no worse than a tie-breaker game. A win this week would have kept them on that track; however no one was predicting such a well-played game; one with no stolen points. After an opening blank, the teams traded deuces for 4 ends making the score 4-4 playing the 6th end. The highlight was the first of those points when Matthew Hunt, throwing last rocks for the John Sheppard foursome, made a pretty in-off to bury his first stone and lie two. Then, following a miss by Andrew Symonds and with hammer drawing for 3, Hunt came up short. No misses by Hunt after that; the teams traded singles for the last 3 ends. A key shot in the final end was a long run-back double takeout by Sheppard to remove shot rock and open up the 4-foot circle. Symonds on his last shot had it overcurl, but he raised in one of his corner guards to the full 12-foot. Rather than a cold draw down the centre, Hunt chose to play a 6-inch tap with hammer, and he made no mistake moving his biter into the button area for a 6-5 victory. At 6-4 Therapeutic Services Physiotherapy is one of the 4 teams challenging for the last two playoff positions. It was the last chance to play giant-killer for John Sheppard Men’s Team, as they do not play a contender in their last remaining game.
Fun ‘N’ Fast 031 202 x 8
Team Labatt* 100 010 x 2
Fun ‘N’ Fast spent a few days out of playoff position and did not like the experience. They pounced on a women’s team (short their normal skip) by opening a 6-1 lead at the half. The outcome was never in doubt and an 8-2 victory propelled them into 3rd place at 6-3, a smidgin ahead of 3 other teams with an eye on the last two playoff spots. Skip Jeff Thomas, the first end that he had hammer, executed a short tap for a 3-count and then stole more points the next two ends. The final score was 8-2 in 6 ends. Will this be a sufficient tune-up for their game next week against the first place Rick Rowsell Men’s Team? Spectators are looking forward to that centre-court match-up being the feature attraction on January 13.
Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions 010 100 0 x 2 Team A. Harvey 101 031 0 x 6
Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions entered the game with a 5-game winning streak (the current SuperLeague high). Team A. Harvey entered the game having lost their 5 previous games, but their skip, Glenn Goss, returned from medical leave with flying colours. For the first 4 ends (when the teams traded singles), there appeared to be too many rocks in play for much drama. The game turned on a seemingly routine skip’s rock in the 5th end. Geoff Cunningham, who throws last rocks for Team A. Harvey, with Goss calling line on a first-rock inturn come-around to lie two, feathered a guard and buried the stone in perfect position. After a miss from Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions skip, Paul Harvey, Cunningham drew for a 3-count and a 5-2 lead. There was more drama on a do-or-die shot in the 6th end. Paul Harvey made a pretty double takeout and roll on his first stone; Cunningham made a perfect come-around draw, and Harvey chose a possible angle raise takeout for as many as 4. His up-weight shot under-curled and the result was the only stolen point of the game. Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions closed the score to 6-3 on a measure in the 7th end, but they were run out of stones in the final frame. Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions at 5-3 is another of the 4 teams challenging for the last two playoff positions.
Colin Thomas Men’s Team 010 01x = 2
Rick Rowsell Men’s Team 202 20x = 6
This battle of the top-2 teams in the Standings, a make-up game from draw #3, was played on Sunday. The experienced foursome skipped by Rick Rowsell would go back to basic curling for such a pivotal match-up ….. score a multiple when you have hammer and force the opposition to a single when you don’t. The defending champion Colin Thomas Men’s Team is younger but certainly also has (national & even international) experience, so they knew what was happening to them, but it was better shotmaking that ruled the day. In the first end, Rowsell scorred a pair with hammer on two good hack-weight shots; Thomas had to hit against 2 or 3 counters with hammer in the 2nd end to score a single; Rowsell took another pair with hammer in the 3rd end; the 4th end was a game-changer as Thomas crashed a guard hitting with hammer giving up a steal of 2 and a 6-1 lead. Thomas was forced to a single in the 5th end when he drew against 3 counters, and they shook hands in the 6th end with Rowsell facing a free draw for a potential fourth deuce of the game. The teams called it a well-played game with a couple of timely shots making the difference; others would call it perfect execution of the pre-game strategy.
STANDINGS (and W or L streak) after 67 of 91 GAMES):
8 – 1 3W Rick Rowsell Men’s Team
7 – 2 1W Colin Thomas Men’s Team
6 – 3 1W Jeff Thomas (Fun ‘N’ Fast)
5 – 3 1L Paul Harvey (Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions)
5 – 3 1L Trent Skanes (McInnes Cooper)
6 – 4 1L Andrew Symonds (Therapeutic Services Physiotherapy)
5 – 4 1L Adam Boland (Olson Curling Supplies)
5 – 5 1W Team Strong
4 – 5 1W Stephen Trickett (Stavanger Dental)
4 – 6 1L Stacie Curtis (Team Labatt)
4 – 7 1W Geoff Cunningham (Team A. Harvey)
3 – 7 6L Andrew Taylor (Carroll Investments)
3 – 9 1W John Sheppard Men’s Team
2 – 8 2L Shelley Hardy Women’s Team
