Both the Mel Bernard rink from the Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club in Summerside, and the Diane MacKay foursome from the Charlottetown and Cornwall curling clubs had to be the favourites going into their respective PEI Masters (for curlers age 60+) finals this afternoon at the Cornwall Curling Club, with Bernard winning the A final of the triple knockout and the 1 vs 2 Page game, both against Fox clubmate Bob Maynard, to advance directly to the final, and the Diane MacKay rink going undefeated in the round robin to also earn a bye to the final. Both rinks pulled out four-point victories in their finals, with Bernard, again playing Maynard, winning by a 7-3 score, and MacKay defeating Cornwall’s Carol Sweetapple team by an 8-4 score. Both rink made some impressive shots on the way to the victories. A key shot for MacKay was her final rock in the fourth end when, facing a Sweetapple counter behind three of her opponents guards, squeezed her rock through a very narrow port, and managed to stay around for one point, and avoided giving up four.
Photo (L-R): Bob Fowler (President Cornwall Curling Club), Mel Bernard, Blair Jay, Low Nowlan, Earle Proude
Photo (L-R): Cornwall club president Bob Fowler, Diane MacKay, Val MacLean, Lynn Thiele, Donna Boulter
Playing with Bernard this year were Blair Jay, Lou Nowlan, and Earle Proude. Other members of the MacKay team are Val MacLean, Lynn Thiele, and Donna Boulter
Photo (L-R): Bob Fowler, Cornwall Curling Club President, Bob Maynard, Harry Williams, Bruce Montgomery, Spike Martin
Photo (L-R): Cornwall Club President Bob Fowler, Carol Sweetapple, Danielle Girard, Carlene Peters, Bernie Field
The runner-up Maynard foursome includes Harry Williams, Bruce Montgomery, and Spike Martin, while Danielle Girard, Carlene Peters, and Bernie Field round out the Sweetapple rink.
It’s MacKay’s first Masters, after being runner-up to Sweetapple in both 2010 and 2011. She has, however won the Maritime Masters event, which also includes the provincial runner-up team. Defending women’s champion Shirley Berry lost 8-6 to Sweetapple in the semi-final.
It’s the third Masters in a row for Bernard, who also recently won the PEI Legion championship.
Ten men’s and six women’s teams began play Monday. Men’s and women’s winners Bernard and MacKay, and runners-up Maynard and Sweetapple all earn the right to compete in the Maritime Masters Championships, March 7-10 at the Capital Winter Club, in Fredericton NB. The winning Bernard and MacKay teams, or the highest-finishing men’s and women’s rinks that choose to attend, are invited to participate in the Canadian Masters, April 8-14 at the Port Arthur Curling Club in Thunder Bay Ontario.