Shirley Berry denies that this was her first year of masters (60 and older) eligibility. It’s just that the dates of the seniors and masters provincials have often been such that a team couldn’t participate in both.
Berry and her rink of Sandy Hope, Arleen Harris and Evelyn Rogerson strung together three consecutive victories in the double-knockout championship after losing their opening game at the Maple leaf Curling Club in O’Leary on Monday.
Rogerson wasn’t in attendance for Wednesday’s third and deciding victory. She was in the air en route for California.
The remaining players rode a 5-0 first-end lead to an 8-5 victory over the Cornwall rink of Ruth Stavert, Myrna Sanderson, Gloria Clark and Myrna Craswell.
“I never like starting a game with a five-ender,” Berry admitted, acknowledging it’s hard to hold a big lead.
The Stavert rink made things interesting in the eighth end. They had three rocks in the rings when Harris froze to the shot stone at the back of the four-foot. Stavert angled onto the shot stone with her first skip rock, but didn’t have the necessary weight with her last rock to bump Harris’ stone out of the rings. Berry didn’t have to throw her last rock.
Stavert finished with a 2-2 (won-lost) record, with both of her losses imposed by the Berry rink.
Senior championships
Berry and Harris were together for four senior women’s championship titles between 2002 and 2010. Hope was with them when they won their fourth seniors title two years ago.
Both the winner and runner-up rinks are eligible to compete in the Maritime masters in New Glasgow, N.S., from Feb. 12 to 19. Both teams plan to attend.
Only one team can advance to the nationals in Montreal from March 26 to April 1. The Berry rink has first option, and they are deliberating to see whether they can make it.
The Silver Fox’s Marg Nowlan rink finished third with a 2-2 record, and defending champion Carol Sweetapple from Cornwall started off with two consecutive losses.
wbureau@journalpioneer.com
