Fullerton & Casey win 17 and Under
The Claddagh Oyster House Provincial 17 and Under Curling Championships wrapped up on Sunday afternoon at the Cornwall Curling Club.
Sarah Fullerton, from the host club, defeated defending champion Danielle Sharkey from the Silver Fox and Crapaud clubs by a 5-4 score to take the junior women's title. Fullerton won the 15 and Under championships on Tuesday, and are also PEI's junior women's representatives at the Canada Games next February. In today's game, Fullerton built up a 5-1 lead after five ends of the eight end game, stealing a deuce in the 5th when Sharkey's attempted tap back for one angled wide. Sharkey took a single in the sixth, and stole one in the seventh end with a well-guarded shot rock. In the final end, Sharkey had two rocks counting when Fullerton made a hit with her final rock to leave Sharkey with only one rock, not enough to force a tie.
Photo (L-R): Sarah Fullerton, Michelle McQuaid, PEI CA Pres. Shirley Lank, Hillary Thompson, Sara MacRae, coach Nancy Yeo
Other members of the winning Fullerton rink are third Michelle McQuaid, second Hillary Thompson, lead Sara MacRae, and coach Nancy Yeo. Erin Carmody, Geri-Lynn Ramsay, and Bethany MacDonald round out the runner-up Sharkey foursome.
Photo (L-R): Cornwall Curling Club Pres. Mark MacDonald, Geri-Lynn Ramsay, Erin Carmody, Bethany MacDonald, Danielle Sharkey, coach Peter Gallant, PEICA Pres. Shirley Lank
Peter Gallant was substituting for their regular coach Pat Aylward during the event, as Pat is coaching the Rod MacDonald rink at the Brier. Fullerton and Sharkey both finished the round robin undefeated and in first place in their respective round robin pools. In the Page game between the two first place finishers on Sunday morning, Sharkey beat Fullerton 6-3 to earn a bye to the final. Fullerton defeated Charlottetown's Courtney Moore by an 8-3 score in the semi-final to advance to the championship game.
Adam Casey from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club blanked Charlottetown's Tim Cullen 6-0 to win the junior men's section in a game that was much closer than the score indicated. Cullen blanked the first end, Casey stole singles in the next four ends. It was almost over in the fifth, when Cullen was facing four counters, but managed to cut them down to one. In the sixth end, Cullen's final rock ticked off a guard, and Casey scored a deuce to bring the game to an early end.
Photo (L-R): Coach Gerry van Ouwerkerk, Adam Casey, Nick van Ouwerkerk, PEICA Pres. Shirley Lank, Anson Carmody, Patrick Callbeck
Other members of the winning Casey rink are Nick van Ouwerkerk, Anson Carmody, and Patrick Callbeck with coach Gerry van Ouwerkerk. The runner-up Cullen rink includes Isaac Shaw, Mike LeBlanc, and Robbie Doherty, with coach Marilyn Sutherland. Casey finished round robin play with a four and one record, while Cullen went 4-0.
Photo (L-R): Coach Marilyn Sutherland, Isaac Shaw, Robbie Doherty, Cornwall Curling Club Pres. Mark MacDonald, Tim Cullen, Mike LeBlanc, PEICA Pres. Shirley Lank
Cullen earned a bye to the final by edging Casey 4-3 in the Page game between the first place teams. Casey beat Montague's Matthew Nabuurs rink by a 7-3 score in the semi-final to advance to the final.
The Fullerton and Casey rinks now play in the Atlantic 17 and Under Championships, April 7-9 at the Gage Golf and Country Club in Oromocto NB.
Photo (L-R): Jenna Perry, Tim Cullen, PEICA Pres. Shirley Lank
During the closing ceremonies, fair play awards were presented to runner-up skip Tim Cullen of Charlottetown and to Jenna Perry, second on the Darcee Birch rink from the Silver Fox, while coaching awards were handed out to Marilyn Sutherland, coach of the Cullen rink, and to Sheila Compton, coach of the Darcee Birch and Chris Gardsmith teams.
Photo (L-R): Sheila Compton, PEICA Pres. Shirley Lank, Marilyn Sutherland