Vernon’s Jim Cotter feels right at home at the Kamloops Curling Club.
It is, after all, where the reigning B.C. men’s champ learned the game.
Cotter, a Kamloops native, and his crew of third Ryan Kuhn, second Tyrel Griffith and lead Rick Sawatsky, took on Sean Geall of New Westminster in an A-event qualifier Saturday afternoon at the Hub International Crown of Curling event in Kamloops.
Both rinks were 2-0 after winning their draws Friday.
Cotter opened with a 12-4 win over Justin Umpherville of Fruitvale.
The Vernon rink jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three ends, picking up three with the hammer in the first, and adding steals of two in the second and third. The Kootenay squad got three back in the fourth before Cotter answered with four in the fifth.
In the evening draw, Cotter snapped a 1-1 tie with four in the sixth end and a steal of one in the seventh for a 6-1 win over Tyler Tardi of Langley.
Tardi was coming off a victory at the Anita Cochrane Memorial Cashspiel at Royal City Curling Club in New Westminster, the inauguaral event of the new B.C. junior curling tour.
Geall advanced to the qualifier by downing Tyler Klymchuk of Langley 7-4 and Grant Dezura of Maple Ridge 6-4.
The quarterfinals go tonight with the semifinals slated for Monday at 9 a.m., followed by the final at 12:30 p.m.
The winner will pocket $7,000.
Vernon’s Jamie Sexton is curling in the event with Stephen Schneider of Vancouver. The rink lost their opening draw, 6-3 to Tardi, but bounced back in a B-event game to beat Umpherville 8-3.
