In a battle between two PEI rinks, the Scotties silver medallist Kathy O’Rourke foursome edged out the Suzanne Birt team by a 7-6 score in semi-final play this afternoon to advance to the 2:30 pm finals of the sixth annual Lady Monctonian women’s cashspiel at Curling Beauséjour. O’Rourke opened the scoring with hammer, and took a single, followed a deuce for Birt. Three in the third gave O’Rourke a two point margin, and a stolen deuce in six gave her a 7-3 lead. Birt, who won the event in 2008, took a single in seven, and stole a deuce in the final end to narrow the gap, but came up one short.
The O’Rourke rink, which includes fourth stone thrower Erin Carmody, third Geri-Lynn Ramsay, O’Rourke calling the game and throwing second stone, and Tricia Affleck at lead, will face Monctonian Ashley Howard, now attending UNB in Fredericton, in the final. Howard got by PEI’s Rebecca Jean MacPhee team 6-4 in her semi-final. MacPhee and Birt will play off in the consolation final, also at 2:30.
In quarter-final action this morning, MacPhee doubled defending event champion and World Senior champ Colleen Pinkney of Truro by a 6-3 score, O’Rourke edged Mary Jane McGuire of Fredericton 5-4, and Birt, who won the event in 2008, got by Sylvie Robichaud of Moncton 4-3 in an extra end. In the other game, Ashley Howard remained the only undefeated team in the event, easily beating Haligonian Theresa Breen 7-1, aided by consecutive three-point ends.
Playing with Suzanne Birt are Shelly Bradley, Robyn MacPhee, and Leslie MacDougall. The Rebecca Jean MacPhee team includes Kim Dolan, Kim’s daughter Sinead Dolan, and Nancy Cameron. All three PEI rinks finished round robin play with 3-2 win-loss records. Playing on the Howard rink are Shannon Williams, Lucille Savoie, and Pam Nicol.
The fourth PEI team in the event, skipped by Donna Butler, with teammates Carolyn Coulson, Melissa Andrews, and Jackie Reid, finished play on Saturday, with a 2-3 win-loss record.
Part of the proceeds from this 20 team women’s event, which features a total purse of $11,ooo, go to support the Moncton Autism Resource Centre.
Click here for live results website.
