Opening day is in the books at the Credit Unions of PEI Provincial Seniors Curling Championships being played at the Cornwall Curling Club. Both defending champions, Barb Currie of the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside, and Ted MacFadyen of the Charlottetown Curling Club lost their opening games. Currie, a four time Seniors champ, lost 6-5 to Jeanne Duffenais Summerside, who is skipping a team from the Cornwall Curling Club. Duffenais picked up a deuce in the last end for the win.
Currie came back in her second game, pulling out a 7-6 win over Charlottetown’s Paula Creamer. Currie lead 3-2 at the half, but stole the next three ends to lead 7-2. Creamer made a valiant comeback, taking deuces in ends nine and ten, but fell short of tying the game.
Two women’s rinks, both from the Charlottetown Curling Club, are 2 and 0 after opening day play, with Scotties Tournament of Hearts veteran Kim Dolan winning her first two Seniors games, 8-6 over Creamer, and 8-7 in an extra end over Duffenais. The other leader is Sandy Hope, who got by June Moyaert of Montague 8-7 in an extra end, and beat Cornwall’s Shirley Berry 11-5. Diane MacKay lost her opener to clubmate Berry, but trounced Moyaert 14-3 in her second game, taking two six-enders.
On the men’s side, six-time champion MacFadyen, with Bill Hope filling in for injured Sandy Foy, was edged out by event newcomer Dale Cannon of the Silver Fox in his opener. In other men’s games, defending Latatt Tankard men’s champion Peter Gallant had an impressive Seniors debut, with a 7-3 win over John Deluca of the host club, with a four point second end aiding the victory. Other winners included Rupert Sweetapple of the host club, 9-1 over Charlottetown’s Dave Kassner, Clair Sweet of the Maple Leaf club in O’Leary, 9-2 over Cornwall’s Geoff Scutt, Mel Bernard, who scored a deuce in the last end to edge Silver Fox clubmate John Holmes 7-6, Matt Smith, who stole the final end to get by Charlottetown clubmate Charlie Wilkinson 10-9, and David MacFadyen of the Fox, who took a triple in the 10th end to beat Charlottetown’s Gordon MacDonald 8-7.
Play continues through to Monday afternoon, with Friday men’s draws at 8 am and 4 pm, and women’s games at 11:30 am and 7:30 pm. The senior men’s and women’s champions will advance to the Canadian Senior Curling Championships, March 21-28 at the Silver Fox.