The 1st of 4 qualifying spots for the Page championship round of the PEI Tankard Provincial Men’s Curling Championships will be determined with the 2 pm draw on Friday, when top-seeded Jamie Newson faces defending champion Eddie MacKenzie. The two teams for the qualifier were determined this afternoon at the Montague Curling Rink, with Newson beating Tyler Harris 9-6, helped out by two triples, and MacKenzie blanking the first SEVEN ends in a low-scoring 3-2 decision over Blair Jay. The teams traded deuces in ends eight and nine, with MacKenzie picking up a 10th end single for the win.

In other games this afternoon, last year’s runner-up, Rod MacDonald, downed Cornwall’s Bill Hope rink by a 10-3 score, bringing the game to an early end with a five point seventh end, and Robert Campbell edged Blair Weeks 5-4. All teams in the event, except for the Hope rink, and Montague’s Donald Clarey foursome are from the Charlottetown Curling Complex.

Play continues at 7 this evening, with Jay taking on Campbell, Clarey facing weeks, Harris playing MacDonald, and Stevenson taking on Hope. The B qualifier will be determined in the 7 pm Friday draw, with the C and D coming out of the 2 pm Saturday draw

The Page games between the A and B qualifiers, and between the C and D go Saturday at 7, with the semi-final Sunday at 2, and the final following at 7, with the winning team advancing  to the Tim Hortons Brier, March 1-9 at the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops, BC.