It was a profitable weekend for PEI’s Suzanne Birt rink, who pocketed $5,200 for winning the Royal LePage OVCA Women’s Fall Classic World Curling Tour event in Kemptville Ontario this afternoon, defeating the Darcy Robertson foursome from Winnipeg in the final of the 24 team triple-knockout event. Birt had a 5-3 lead going into the seventh end where she stole a triple for an 8-3 final score. Other members of Team Birt are third Shelly Bradley, second stone Michelle McQuaid, and lead Susan McInnis. The Robertson rink go home with $2600 for their runner-up finish.
The reigning PEI Scotties champions doubled Quebec’s Eve Belisle team 6-3 in the semi-finals earlier in the afternoon, and followed a sixth end triple with a single steal in the seventh in a 7-2 quarter-final win over Brit O’Neill of Ottawa on Sunday morning.
Birt had only one loss in the triple-knockout round, to Allison Flaxey of Listowel Ont., and won her B Qualifier by a 7-4 score on Saturday against 2007 event winner Jenn Hanna of Ottawa. Last year’s champion, Rachel Homan of Ottawa did not participate this year, as she is playing in the Masters Grand Slam of Curling event in BC, where she is currently playing in the final against Eve Muirhead of Scotland.
This is the Birt foursome’s second cashspiel win in a row, as they defeated another Island rink, skipped by Kathy O’Rourke, in an extra end in the Lady Monctonian in Moncton the previous weekend. The O’Rourke team were also in this weekend’s event, finishing with a 1-3 win-loss record.