(by Jody Jewers)
P.E.I. loses 9-6 at Canadian women’s curling championship
Good start. Bad middle. Not enough finish.
That about summed it up for Suzanne Birt and her Charlottetown Curling Club crew of third Shelly Bradley, second Robyn MacPhee and lead Leslie MacDougall on the opening day of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts at the Civic Centre.
Birt’s bunch opened the afternoon draw with three in the first end against Andrea Kelly of New Brunswick, but was outscored 8-1 through the next five ends and wound up on the losing end of a 9-6 decision Saturday afternoon in front of 2,727 onlookers.
“We made a few great shots and had a couple bad misses, maybe some miscommunication on one or two,” said Birt, making her sixth appearance at the Canadian women’s curling championship. “We’ve just got to come out in the next game tomorrow and change a few things, and we’ll be good.”
The Island squad struggled with draw weight for most of the match, and it cost them steals of two in the fifth and sixth that swung momentum for good in New Brunswick’s favour. Birt curled at 46 per cent on 11 in-turn draw attempts, while Kelly was firing at 80 per cent in 16 in-turn draws.
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Guardian photo by Brian McInnis
Skip Suzanne Birt keeps an close eye on her rock during first draw action against New Brunswick.