The ladies were shining this week in the Kootenay Savings Super League, and room at the top of the standings got tighter with the top two teams losing.
Team Bedard Excavating, skipped by Deane Horning, was taking on standings leader Team Myron Nichol. Team Bedard Excavating made the most of their hammer opportunities with skip Horning making two perfect doubles in the second and fourth ends to score three in each, while forcing skip Myron into drawing for singles in the first and third for an early 6-2 lead. Neither team could muster much offence after that, as the teams traded singles over the next four ends, ending in an 8-4 Bedard Excavating win.
Team Bill van Yzerloo might have thought they were in for an easy night against Team Desiree Borsato, with only one win this year. But the women’s team had other plans on the swingy ice. Skip Des had draw weight in her back pocket, making two perfect ones in the first end, another around a tight guard in the second for a steal of one. Van Yzerloo had to settle for one in the third, after rolling out on an open hit, skip Borsato again made two perfect draws for another deuce to lead 5-1 after four. Team van Yzerloo were still down four coming home, and looked to build a comeback, laying three buried when Team Borsato third Brittany Horbul made a run back take-out to lay one. Team van Yzerloo then made a delicate come around tap to again lay three buried, before skip Desiree snuffed out any chance with a raise double take-out, running van Yzerloo out of rocks, and a 7-3 victory.
The most entertaining game of the night, featured Team Heather Nichol against Team Albo, this week skipped by Lori Karn. It was all offense, with four lead changes, and lots of field goals. Team Nichol started quickly with three in the first, forced Team Albo into one in the second, followed by their own single to lead 4-1.
Team Albo tied it up with their own three, then jumped out to a 7-4 lead with a steal of three in the fifth. Team Nichol tied it back up after seven with a deuce and a steal of one. Albo again retained the lead with two in the eighth, only to watch Nichol boot another three onto the scoreboard, to lead by one coming home without.
There was only one rock not in play when Skip Karn came to throw her last rock, facing two buried opposition stones, and trying in vain to navigate through a wall of granite to score one to tie the game, giving Team Heather Nichol a 12-9 win, and their first victory of the year.
Team Marcus Partridge were trying to tame a surging Team Ken Fines. Team Partridge dodged a bullet in the first as skip Fines attempted a double take-out to score four, only to have the rock slightly over-curl, taking out the first rock, but slipping underneath the second for a Partridge steal of one.
Team Partridge stole two in the third, when again Fines’ rock over-curled, this time missing both stones. Fines made a delicate come around tap for two in the fourth, but then it was all Team Partridge, taking one in the fifth, stealing the sixth and seventh ends leading to a 7-3 win.
It was a tale of two games and an incredible comeback between Team Russ Beauchamp and Team Sitkum IT, skipped by Nando Salviulo. Russ jumped out to a 5-0 lead, when skip Salviulo’s takeout over-curled. Beauchamp stole a single in the third, and was looking to steal the fourth before Nando made a perfect draw to the button to get on the board. Team Beauchamp extended their lead to 9-1 after five, after skip Russ made a delicate come around tap for two. The second half of the game was all Sitkum IT, starting with a three spot in the sixth, forcing Beauchamp to draw for one in the seventh, drawing for their own single in eight, stealing another one in nine to be down 9-6 coming home without hammer.
Nothing went Team Beauchamp’s way in the 10th, nose hitting guards, or running them back onto their own stones to lay five when Skip Russ came to throw his last rock. With first and second shots totally buried, he chose to try and hit and stay on the third counting Sitkum stone, only to have the take-out run straight, chipping it into the shot stones and staying, while his one stone rolled out for an improbable steal of five, and a Sitkum IT 11-9 win.
Kootenay Savings Super League goes Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Trail Curling Club. Spectators are welcome.
