The Ferguson Funeral Homes Provincial Stick Curling Championships got underway this morning at the Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club in Summerside.  The two and three-time defending champions, the Ruth Stavert/Gloria Clarke duo from the Cornwall Curling Club, and the Walter Callaghan/John Vincent team from the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton, respectively, both picked up a pair of wins today, with Callaghan/  Vincent losing to the Ensor Waite/Clifford Arsenault duo from the Silver Fox in their third match to end the day at 2-1, tied with seven other men’s teams out of a total of 12. The Audrey Callaghan/Ann Barwise twosome from Alberton is also at 2-0 on the women’s side, while the rinks skipped by Shirley Lank and Karen Fisher, both of Cornwall are 0-2.

The top four men’s teams and the top two women’s rinks from this competition earn the right to compete in the Maritime Stick Curling Championships, March 13-15 at the Amherst Curling Club in Nova Scotia. The top two men’s teams may also compete at the 2012 Canadian Open Stick Curling Championship, April 3-5 at the Highland Curling Club in Regina SK..

In stick curling there are two curlers per team, who deliver their rocks with delivery sticks, with each team member delivering from opposite ends. Sweeping is allowed only from the hog line to the back of the house at the playing end. Two curlers, one from each team, alternately deliver 6 stones each per end, while their teammate skips that end. The roles are then reversed, and the partners deliver the stones back. No stone may be removed from play until the fourth stone of each end. Games are six ends and take about an hour to play. For more information on stick curling, including complete rules of play, visit www.stickcurling.ca.

The PEI Stick championships wrap up on Wednesday afternoon.