The semi-final round gets underway at 11 this morning in both the men’s and women’s divisions of the Rodd Curling Classic at the Charlottetown Curling Club.

The women’s semis will see Nancy McConnery of the Halifax Mayflower Curling Club lub play Sarah Rhyno of CFB Halifax, and Heather Strong of Newfoundland/Labrador face Andrea Kelly of New Brunswick. McConnery, Strong, and Kelly are all current provincial women’s champs, while 2006 NS Junior champ Rhyno has been a contender at the Nova Scotia Scotties, and on the cashspiel circuit.

On the men’s side, 2005 Brier finalist Shawn Adams of Halifax, who recently won the Swinamer’s TIM-BR MART Cashspiel at the Windsor NS Curling Club, plays Chad Stevens of the Chester Curling Club, while former Canadian junior champ Ryan Sherrard of Saint John takes on the Jamie Murphy rink of Halifax, recent winners of the CFB Halifax Curling Club Cashspiel.

Round robin play wrapped up Saturday, with no tiebreakers required, so the men’s quarter-finals were played Saturday night, with Ryan Sherrard stealing three points in the final end to beat PEI’s Rod MacDonald rink by a 7-3 score, and Chad Stevens edging Chris Sutherland of Halifax 8-7.

PEI teams round robin win-loss records: Erin Carmody 2-3, Suzanne Birt 2-3, Rebecca Jean/Robyn MacPhee 1-4.
Rod MacDonald 4-1, Brett Gallant 3-2, Ted MacFadyen 2-3, Eddie MacKenzie 2-3, Tyler MacKenzie 1-4, John Likely 1-3 (did not play last game), Robert Campbell 0-4.

The men’s and women’s finals go at 2 pm this afternoon. The winning men’s team will take home $5000, with $3500 going to the runner-up, $2500 to third and fourth place, and $1600 to quarter-finalists MacDonald and Sutherland. The top prize in the women’s section is $3100, with $2100 for second place. Third and fourth place will each take home $1250. There is also a payout of $40 per round robin win in the women’s section.

Eighteen men’s, and 12 women’s teams from all four Atlantic provinces took part in this annual event.