Newson wins B and C qualifiers and needs just one more win for a 3rd consecutive PEI Mixed title

It was a super Sunday for two-time defending PEI Mixed champion Jamie Newson and his Silver Fox team, winning both the B and C qualifying games, over “A” qualifier Nick Blanchard of Crapaud, for the Monday championship round at the PEI Mixed Curling Championship in O’Leary. By winning two sections, Newson will have  “double life” on Monday, winning the championship if he takes either the 2 pm or the 6 pm Championship Round games, while Blanchard would have to win both games to be declared champion.

In Sunday morning play, deuces were wild for Newson in the “B” qualifier, where he scored four of them (including a steal) and kept Blanchard to singles for an 8-3 win.

In the 2 pm “C” semi-finals of the modified triple-knockout draw, Blanchard eliminated Charlottetown’s Alex MacFadyen squad by a 6-4 score, while Newson got off to a fast start in his game against Philip MacDonald foursome, following a first-end triple with a stolen second end single to lead 4-0 after 2 ends. MacDonald was kept to a single point in three and a pair of Newson deuces in ends four and five put him into an 8-1 lead. It was handshakes after MacDonald took 1 in the sixth, with a final score of 8-2 for Newson.

The 6 pm “C” qualifier game saw Newson blank the first two ends, and score a deuce in the third. Blanchard blanked the fourth and Newson stole a single in the fifth end. Blanchard was kept to a single in the sixth and a Newson deuce in the seventh put the game out of reach with a 5-1 final score.

The PEI Mixed championship team will advance to the 2021 Canadian Mixed Championship, Nov. 7-15, 2020, at the Canmore Golf and Curling Club in Alberta.

Nine teams representing five curling clubs took part in the PEI Mixed Championship.