Defending champion Lynne Noble of Parksville takes on Shiella Cowan of New Westminster in Saturday’s final of the B.C. Senior Women’s Curling Championships at the Enderby Curling Club.
The championship game is at 2 p.m.
Cowan advanced with a come-from-behind 8-7, extra-end win over Salmon Arm’s Sandra Jenkins in the Saturday morning semifinal, clinching the win with a steal of one.
Jenkins jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two ends, scoring three in the first end with hammer, then stealing a deuce in two.
Cowan clawed back to 5-3 after four ends, and got to within one at 6-5 by scoring a deuce in the sixth end. Jenkins scored one in seven for a 7-5 lead, and Cowan used the hammer to score a pair in the eighth and final end, forcing the extra frame.
The three teams finished atop the eight-team standings.
Noble and Jenkins were undefeated at 6-0 heading into the final preliminary round draw Friday, which Noble won 7-2. Noble’s rink includes 1988 Olympic gold medalist Penny Shantz throwing third stones.
Jenkins won Olympic bronze in Italy in 2006 as a fifth member of Calgary’s Shannon Kleibrink’s team.
Cowan’s rink was 4-3, using a steal in an extra end in its final preliminary round game to beat Lynda Roemer of New Westminster 6-5 to qualify for the playoffs.
In Duncan, Vernon’s Mark Longworth finished fourth at 5-4 and missed out on a playoff spot at the 10-team B.C. Senior Men’s finals.
Longworth won his final game Saturday morning, 10-4, over Kelowna’s Steve Wright, who had already clinched a semifinal spot.
Longworth, backed by Dean Mackney, Greg Hamilton and Ron McDougall, was trailing 4-3 but turned the game around with four in the sixth end, then forced early handshakes with a steal of three in seven.
Wright (6-3) took on Craig Lepine (7-2) of Cloverdale in a Saturday afternoon semifinal. The winner played Wes Craig of the host club (8-1) for the B.C. title Sunday morning.
Both provincial winners advance to the Canadian finals in Stratford, Ont.
