Hart subs for Howard, repeats as Jenkins champs

AJAX -- Pickering's Richard Hart took over for sidelined skip Glenn Howard to lead the team to a repeat win at the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic 2008 Bonspiel in Brockville recently.

The Shorty Jenkins 'spiel, hosted at the Brockville Country Club, opened the competitive men's curling calendar for the 2008-09 season. The defending champion Howard rink was without skip Howard, who was sidelined with a hernia. Vice on the Ontario men's champion team, Hart took the helm and a previous junior champion, Andy Ormsby, was recruited to lead. Brent Laing moved to vice and Craig Savill played second.

The foursome was up to the challenge, as they defeated Kerry Burtnyk in an extra end of the final game. The team collected $9,000 for the championship, as well as extra funds for each game won.

Next on the calendar for the team is the BDO Curling Classic in Oakville from Oct. 10 to 13.

Howard hopes to recover from surgery and be fit in time for the Masters of Curling in Waterloo from Nov. 12 to 16.

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The curling season at Annandale starts the day after Thanksgiving. New this year is an incentive to keep graduates from the junior ranks curling at the club. In previous years, those older than 21 were faced with paying the full membership rate. Now, junior rates are charged up to age 26.

Curling clinics at Annandale are coming up on Oct. 15 and 25 for adult members only. The junior and bantam leagues include instruction, etiquette and co-ordination in their program.

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Calgary is the site of the 2009 Tim Hortons Brier. The 80th edition of the Canadian men's curling championship is from March 7 to 15 at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

It marks the sixth time the city has hosted the event. The 2009 Brier will also be the first time that TSN will officially provide exclusive coverage of the championship. In previous years, TSN covered the round robin and CBC televised the semifinal and final.-- Ajax-Pickering News Advertiser curling columnist Jim Easson is a long-time member of the Annandale Golf and Curling Club in Ajax.