The defending champion Ted MacFadyen rink from the Silver Fox club in Summerside won the “B” section final this afternoon of the Men’s Modified Triple Knockout draw at the PEI Masters Championships, for curlers age 60 and over, taking place at the Charlottetown Curling Club. The Bill Hope rink won the “A” section on Friday. Since no team can now win all three sections, there will be a championship round on Monday.
Photo: Ted MacFadyen directs his team’s rock into the house as Clair Sweet watches
MacFadyen downed the Clair Sweet team from the Maple Leaf Curling Club in O’Leary (with Crapaud’s Dario Zannier subbing for injured second Mike Trudeau) by a 7-1 score this afternoon, with MacFadyen, who calls the game, Lou Nowlan throwing last rocks, and Earle Proud and Alan Montgomery on front end keeping the Sweet team off the scoreboard until after the fourth end break, taking a deuce and three consecutive single steals. Sweet was kept to a single in five, but a MacFadyen deuce in six brought the game to handshakes.
Sweet had a high-scoring second half in an 8-2 come-from-behind win over “A” section champ Bill Hope from Cornwall in the morning “B” semi-finals, with Hope leading 2-1 after four ends. Sweet took charge after the break, scoring a triple, a single steal, and a stolen triple for the win.
MacFadyen handed Cornwall’s Paul Arsenault foursome his second loss in the other “B” semi, getting off to a good start with a four-point first end. Arsenault responded with a pair of deuces to tie the match up after three ends, but MacFadyen picked up a deuce for a 6-4 lead at the fourth end break. Arsenault was kept to singles in ends five and seven, while MacFadyen recorded a deuce in six, and had hammer coming home, but did not have to throw his final stone, winning 8-6.
Hope now plays MacFadyen while Arsenault faces Sweet in “C” semi-final games at 10 am Sunday, with the winners playing off in the “C” final at 2 pm. Hope, MacFadyen, and the winner of the “C” final advance to the championship round on Monday at 10 and 2. If either Hope or MacFadyen win the “C” event, they, as the winner of two sections, will have a “double life” in the Monday round, and win the title if they take either game, while their opponent would have to win both.
Photo: Shirley Berry (left), Sandy Hope
Meanwhile, the first game in the two-team, all-Cornwall women’s division Best of Five competition took place Saturday afternoon, with the defending champion Sandy Hope team beating the Shirley Berry rink 9-4. A couple of missed hits by Berry in the third end gave Hope a 3-1 lead. Hope then stole a single in the fourth to lead 4-1 at the half. Berry came back with a deuce and a stolen single in the next two ends, but a triple in seven and a stolen deuce in eight gave Hope the win.
The next two games in the Best of Five go at 10 and 2 on Sunday. If needed, the final two games are scheduled for Monday at 10 and 2.
Winners and runners-up earn the right to advance to the Maritime Masters Curling Championships, at the Bluenose Curling Club in New Glasgow Nova Scotia, March 16-18 2018. The winning Men’s and Women’s team, or the runners-up should they choose not to attend, also earn the right to compete in the 2018 Canadian Masters Curling Championships in BC, April 1-8 at Surrey’s Cloverdale Curling Club and White Rock’s Peace Arch Curling Club.
Live end-by-end results from the PEI Masters are available at PEICurling.com