The Cornwall and Charlottetown rink of Shirley Berry, Sandy Hope, Shelley Ebbett and Arleen Harris, with coaches Bill Hope and Butch McGee, had to win both championship round games against the June Moyaert foursome from Montague in order to become the PEI Credit Unions Provincial Senior Women’s champions, and they succeeded, but by the narrowest of margins – taking their Monday game 8-7 in an extra end, and today’s match by one point as well, by a 6-5 score. It’s Berry and Harris’ fifth Seniors championship together, with Hope and Ebbett joining the team for their 2010 win.
Defending champion Moyaert, who won two out of the three triple knockout sections, and consequently would have taken the title had she won either of the two championship round games, got off to a great start today, stealing singles in the first three ends, but Berry came back with a single and a pair of deuces in the next three to lead 5-3. Moyaert tied the game with singles in ends seven and eight, but Berry blanked the ninth to retain last rock advantage coming home, and scored a single in the final frame for the win. Other members of the Moyaert rink are Sherren MacKinnon, Terri Thompson, and Kathy Clarey, with Marj Stewart filling in for MacKinnon after a Friday evening fall on the ice sent her to the sidelines.
The Shirley Berry rink will now join the Senior Men’s winners, the Charlie Wilkinson foursome from Charlottetown, at the Canadian Seniors, March 17-25 in Abbotsford BC.
Eight women’s teams and nine men’s teams took part in this year’s PEI Seniors, with the men’s event taking place at the Crapaud Community Curling Club, and the women’s championship being played at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton.