Howard rink three-peats at Prairie Classic in Manitoba
October 30, 2008
AJAX -- To say the defending Ontario champion Glenn Howard rink is on an early-season roll would be an understatement.
The Howard team, with Pickering's Richard Hart at vice, is red hot after chalking up its third straight championship, this time winning the 2008 Meyers Norris Penny Prairie Classic in Portage, Manitoba from Oct. 24 to 27. Along with the front end of Brent Laing, and Craig Savill, the Howard rink has won this event in the past two years, and hoped to keep the streak alive. In the triple knock-out playdown, the team gave up two lives, and another loss would have sidelined them, but they persevered through draw 'C', qualified, and then won the event again Monday evening. The total purse for the running was $58,000 with $18,000 going to the Howard team. Next on the calendar for Team Howard is a trip to Brooks, Alberta, from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 for the Cactus Pheasant Classic. The event features 24 teams of World Class Curlers in a triple-knockout draw playing for a share of the $70,000 purse with $22,000 slated for the winner.--- Annandale had two junior teams in the Ontario Junior Curling Tour (OJCT) again last weekend. Michael Bryson, James McPherson, Sandy Martin and Josh Hall, with coach Susannah Moylan, were runner-ups in the 4th Event of the London Junior Cash Spiel on Oct. 24 to Oct. 26. They qualified after the 24-team playdowns, and won their 4th Event semifinal, but lost the 4th Event final game at the St. Thomas Curling Club. Last season, the Tim March Annandale team won the event, but are now too old to compete in the junior tour.--- Also in the London Junior Cash Spiel, Sharon Pyne was substitute coach for Jennifer McGhee, the coach for the team of Lesley Pyne, Stacey Hogan, Suzanne Miller and Katie Hickey. The team curled at the Highland Country Club and won the 3rd Event semifinal and lost the 3rd Event final to the visiting Swiss junior ladies' team when Lesley's last shot to tie in the 10th end came up a little short. The next OJCT event is in Kitchener-Waterloo from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 for The Home Hardware Junior Curling Classic.--- Fast approaching is the Annandale Youth Bonspiel slated for Nov 8, followed by the Junior Ontario Curling Association Zone playdowns at the Whitby Curling Club from Nov. 22 to 25.--- Annandale held a curling clinic at the club last Saturday. The beginners clinic had 32 participants and the advanced clinic had 26. The cost was $15 per person for each clinic. Coffee and muffins were provided in the morning for the beginners clinic and coffee and cookies in the afternoon for the advanced. The instructors found lots of enthusiasm with the new curlers in the beginners clinic. Most of them got to put their teachings to the test the next night at the first Sunday night Mixed League game of the season. The advanced clinic brought out some great strategy discussions. Convener Beth Potter thanked lead instructor Joan O'Leary. Other instructors for the day included John and Sandra Thain, Rob McMulkin, Brian Woods, Pierre Joly, Ollie Williams, John Smith, Dave Edgel, Arthur McCrorie, Leonard Franssen, Corey Mackey, Rick Walker, and a student helper for the day, Jake McGhee.