(by Jason Simmonds)
Skip pleased with run to final despite playing very little this season
ALBERTON – As disappointed as he was in the outcome of the 2015 P.E.I. Tankard, skip Jamie Newson was quick to put his Charlottetown Curling Complex rink’s performance in perspective.
© Jason Simmonds/Journal Pioneer
Skip Jamie Newson releases a shot while lead Shawn Pitre is ready to sweep during the final game of the 2015 P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling championship in Alberton on Tuesday afternoon.
Top-seeded Casey completed play in the modified triple-knockout format at 5-1 (won-lost), and unseeded Newson went 3-3 after a 3-0 start.
“Overall, we are pretty pleased,” assessed Newson. “It’s always disappointing to come up a little short, but we didn’t play a whole lot this year (only three or four spiels).
“We kind of cut back on our schedule from other years, so we didn’t know what to expect going in. We knew Adam and his team were heavy favourites to win, so we wanted to make it tough on them and at least give them a run.
“We did that and played three tough games (against Casey). We beat them in one (6-4), should have beat them in the other one and gave that one away (9-8) and took them to an extra end here.
“There’s not much more you can say. They are one of the top teams in the world, ranked 11th or 12th.”
Fifth time
It marked the fifth time Newson has been runner-up in the Tankard.
“Each one gets a little tougher,” he added. “It’s getting a little frustrating. I might have to re-evaluate things and push a little harder next year. . .