Charlottetown’s Charlie Wilkinson rink, which includes 3rd Ken McGregor, 2nd Phillip MacInnis, and lead Bill Doherty, is now the only defeated team at the Credit Unions of PEI Provincial Senior Men’s Curling Championship, for curlers age 50 and over, being played at the Crapaud Community Curling Club. The Wilkinson team defeated the Clair Sweet foursome from the Maple Leaf Curling Club in O’Leary by a 13-8 score this evening to win the A section final of this triple knockout event. The high scoring match included a stolen deuce by Wilkinson in end two, followed by a stolen five ender, and another steal of two in ends three and four.
Three teams have only one loss, and, along with Wilkinson, will be competing for the B section honours, with the Rod MacDonald/John Likely rink from Charlottetown and Montague taking on Wilkinson, and Summerside’s Blair Jay foursome battling the Sweet team in the B section semi-finals, with the winners advancing to the B final. The B semis and final, originally scheduled for 1 and 6 on Saturday, have now been moved to 10 am and 3 pm, respectively, due to the forecast storm.
One rink, the team of Donald Whitehead, Frank MacDonald, Dario Zannier, and Kenny Stewart, from the host Crapaud club have 3 losses, and are now out of the competition. Still alive with two losses are defending champion Bill Hope from Charlottetown and Cornwall, and three rinks from Summerside’s Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club, skipped by Mel Bernard, Barry Cameron, and Marc LeClair.
In games in Friday’s 1 pm draw, Wilkinson scored 4 in the 6th end to bring a speedy conclusion to game against Jay with a 9-2 score, Hope beat LeClair 8-3, MacDonald/Likely downed Cameron 8-1, and Sweet stole 4 in the 8th end in a 9-4 win over Bernard.
In other 6 pm matches, MacDonald/Likely edged Bernard 8-6, Crapaud’s Whitehead team, despite a five-ender in the 5th, lost 13-8 to LeClair, and Jay doubled Hope 10-5.
The C flight semis go Sunday at 1, with the C final at 6 pm. The two game championship round, between the winners of the 3 sections, goes Monday at 1 and 6 respectively. If Wilkinson were to win all three sections, the championship round would not be played. If a team wins two sections, they would play in both championship games, and take the championship if they won either game.
The eventual winner will advance to the Canadian Seniors championships, March 17-25 in Abbotsford BC.