Two more games to play for pride at the Tim Hortons Brier Canadian Men’s Curling Championships in Kingston, Ont. for Vernon’s Jim Cotter quartet.
Cotter, Steve Laycock, Andrew Nerpin and Rick Sawatsky lost their fourth in a row Tuesday morning, a 6-3 setback to James Grattan of New Brunswick.
The loss drops the BC champs to 1-4 and the best they can finish is 3-4. The top-four teams in the eight-team pool advance to Round 2 to meet the top-four rinks from the other round-robin group.
Team Wild Card, skipped by Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen, leads Cotter’s group at 4-0. John Epping of Ontario, Matt Dunstone of Saskatchewan and defending champion Kevin Koe’s Team Canada rink are all 3-1. Epping and Dunstone have already defeated Cotter, who finishes the preliminary round Wednesday against Koe.
Cotter will play the winless Yukon rink Wednesday morning.
READ MORE: Vernon rink’s Brier struggles continue
Gratton is alone in fifth place in the pool at 3-2.
The New Brunswick skip opened Tuesday morning’s game with a steal of two in the first end. Cotter picked up one with the hammer in the second, and the Maritimes rink added one in the third for a 3-1 lead which held up after a pair of blanked ends to the fifth-end break.
The teams exchanged single points with New Brunswick holding a 4-3 lead with hammer coming home. Grattan scored a deuce for the 6-3 win.
Cotter did find time to wish his daughter a very happy birthday today.
It’s almost game time, but Jim Cotter has someone else special on his mind – his daughter @jaelyncotter_!#Brier2020 🎂 pic.twitter.com/VJ2FOttO2v
— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) March 3, 2020
* Spallumcheen’s Ina Forrest and Team Canada won their fourth in a row Tuesday morning at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Wetzikan, Switzerland with an 8-6 victory over Norway.
Canada is tied for second place with Sweden at 5-1 while the Norwegians are 5-2. China leads the 12-team field at 7-0. Canada plays Latvia Tuesday evening.
* The BC Masters Women’s Curling Championships start Tuesday afternoon in Lake Cowichan.
Vernon’s Kathy Pedersen, supported by third Shirley Vedan, second Diane Nohr lead Rosemary Eller and fifth player Marlene Everett open the eight-team tournament against Isobel Gardner of Royal City (New Westminster).
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