(by Jean Mills)

Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton has secured her place in the 2013 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings after defeating Team Jones, skipped by Kaitlyn Lawes, 6-4 in front of a record-breaking Saskatchewan crowd in the Women’s Final of the 2012 Capital One Canada Cup of Curling on Sunday morning.

Lawton came straight into Sunday’s final after finishing first with a 5-1 record in round robin play, while the Jones team had to get past Heather Nedohin in the semi final – a game in which skip Kaitlyn Lawes curled 94 percent and won 9-5.

After a blank end and a forced single in the second, Lawton, third Sherry Anderson, second Sherri Singler and lead Marliese Kasner controlled the play throughout most of the game.

The momentum was in Lawton’s favour, and she was effective in shutting down any pressure from the Jones team whenever they tried to get rocks in play. A draw around two guards in the third end, assisted by sweepers Marliese Kasner and Sherri Singler, was a turning point for Lawton. But it was Lawton’s big weight shots — doubles in the second and third ends, and a controlled take-out through a port in the fifth – that gave her team the momentum and a 4-3 lead heading into the break.

After the energy of the first five ends, the sixth produced a series of misses. With her last rock, Lawes drew partly around a guard to lie one, but Lawton replied with a hit to take the single. In the tenth, Lawes tried to get something going, but two impressive tick shots from Kasner and more of the same from Singler and Anderson kept the house open for Lawton to draw against 1 for the 6-4 victory – and a berth in the 2013 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings next December in Winnipeg.

Click for full story and post-game interviews at the CCA website.