The Mel Bernard rink from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside have now won two of the three sections of the Men’s modified triple knockout round at the Provincial Masters Men’s Championship at the Cornwall Curling Club. This will advance them to both games of the two game championship round on Tuesday, and they will win the championship if they take either game, while their opponent will have to win both games. In the event that the Bernard foursome also win the C flight of the knockout round, scheduled for 2 pm (revised time) on Monday, they would be declared the champions at that time, without the championship round being played.
Photo (L-R): Earle Proude, Mel Bernard, Alan Montgomery
The Bernard rink, which includes third Lou Nowlan, second Earle Proude, and lead Alan Montgomery, beat their clubmates from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club, the Dale Cannon team (with Blair Jay throwing 4th stones) by a 5-3 score in the “A” final on Sunday morning, coming from behind with a triple in the final end. They then beat the Bill Hope rink from Cornwall and Charlottetown 9-3 in the 12:30 pm afternoon draw. stealing four points in the seventh end to advance to the B final against Clair Sweet from the Maple Leaf Curling Club in O’Leary, in their 3rd draw of the day, at 4 pm, which they won by a 5-2 score to advance to the C semi-final, against Bill Hope at 10 am on Monday (note change of time from original schedule). The other C semi will see Sweet take on Charlottetown’s Matt Smith rink. The winners of those two games will advance to the C final at 2 pm (note change of time from original schedule).
Meanwhile, the Shirley Berry rink from the Cornwall and Charlottetown curling clubs are repeat Curl PEI Masters women’s champs, winning their first three games of their best of five championship against the Diane MacKay rink, taking the title with a 9-1 score in this morning’s game at the Cornwall Curling Club. MacKay curls out of the host club, and was runner-up last year as well. Berry said that she tried to keep the game simple, minimizing rocks in play, and it worked out for her. The game was tied 1-all after three ends, but Berry pulled ahead with a stolen deuce in the fourth, and then put the game out of reach for the MacKay squad by stealing four points in the fifth end.
The men’s and women’s winners and earn the right to compete in the Maritime Masters Championships. Dates and venue for this event have not yet been confirmed. The winning men’s and women’s rinks or the runner-up team if they don’t choose to attend, are invited to participate in the 2015 NVA Hotel Divison Canadian Masters Championships, March 30 to Apr. 5 at the Whitehorse Curling Club in the Yukon.