Two very close finals decided the “A” sections of the modified triple knockout PEI Masters (60+) Curling Championships this morning at the Silver Fox. In the women’s event, Cornwall’s Shirley Berry rink were trailing their clubmates and defending champions the Sandy Hope rink 9-4 after six ends, but they picked up five points in the seventh to tie the game, and stole a single in the final end for a 10-9 win.
The men’s “A” final was also very close, with Bill Hope of Cornwall and defending champion Lou Nowlan from the host club tied 4-all going into the last end, where Nowlan scored a single with hammer for the 5-4 victory and a spot in the championship round.
The “B” semi-finals go at 2:30 pm, with Sandy Hope taking on the host club’s Sheila Compton, and Bill Hope facing Blair Jay from the Fox. The winners take on Berry and Nowlan, respectively, in the 10 am Sunday “B” finals. If Berry or Nowlan also win the “B” final, they would have a “double life” in the two-game championship rounds on Monday at 2:30 pm and, if needed, 10 am Tuesday. If either team wins all three knockout sections, they would take the title without a championship round.
Jay advanced to the “B” semi with a 6-3 doubling of Cornwall’s Paul Arsenault this morning. Arsenault now battles O’Leary’s Clair Sweet in a “must win” C event game at 2:30. The “C” finals go at 10 am Sunday.
The winning and finalist men’s and women’s teams will compete against their peers from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia at the Maritime Masters, here on PEI at the Cornwall Curling Club from March 12-14 2020, while the men’s and women’s winning teams, or finalist teams if they are unable to attend, also earn the right to compete in the 2020 Canadian Masters Curling Championships, March 30-April 5, 2020 at the Riverside Country Club in Rothesay, and the Thistle St.-Andrews Curling Club in Saint John New Brunswick.
Live end-by-end results from the PEI Masters are available at PEICurling.com/scoreboard