It was a close game between long-time PEI rivals this morning, as defending event champion Suzanne Birt and her team edged out the rink skipped by Kathy O’Rourke,  by a 6-5 score, at the Curl Atlantic Championship in Sackville NB.

Photo (L-R): Suzanne Birt, Shelly Bradley, Sarah Fullerton, Leslie MacDougall

O’Rourke, making her return to competitive curling after a year off, stole a deuce to open the scoring, but Birt responded with a deuce and a stolen single to lead 3-1 after three. An O’Rourke single in four was responded to with a two point fifth end by Birt. O’Rourke came back with a deuce in six. The teams traded single in seven and eight to give Birt the win. Birt is at 2-0, while O’Rourke, who calls the game, but throws third stones, with Meaghan Hughes throwing last. is 0-2.

Birt takes on Kelly MacIntosh (1-1) at 4, while O’Rourke plays Jessica Ronalds (0-2) at 8 pm. Both of these rinks are from New Brunswick.

PEI’s Eddie MacKenzie rink is 1-1 on the men’s side, and faces Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ken Peddigrew team (0-2) at noon.

Results at http://livecurling.com