SUMMERSIDE -
SUMMERSIDE -- Ontario's Bruce Delaney and Nova Scotia's Colleen Pinkney are the 2009 Canadian senior curling champions.
A four-ender in the first end keyed Delaney's 10-4 victory over Russ Howard of New Brunswick, while Pinkney never trailed in a 6-4 victory over British Columbia's Kathy Smiley. Both finals were played at the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club on Saturday afternoon.
"The only problem with getting four in the first end is you've got nine more ends to play against Russ Howard, and that's not an easy task," said Delaney. "You know what, we saved our best game for this game."
Other members of the Delaney rink out of the Royal Canadian Navy Curling Club in Ottawa are third stone Rick Bachand, second stone Duncan Jamieson and lead George Mitchell, who curled 96 per cent in the final.
Delaney and Howard both finished round-robin play with identical 8-3 records.
Pinkney, who finished first in round-robin play at 10-1, scored deuces with the hammer in the second and fifth ends to take a 4-2 lead.
"The key when I had a draw for three (in the fifth end) and was heavy was how my team reassured me everything was fine and reminded me that we were still up two," said Pinkney. "I had to get angry at myself for a minute or two, because I have to do that, but then we settled right back in and continued to curl the way we did."
Third stone Wendy Currie, second stone Karen Hennigar and lead Susan Creelman round out Pinkney's Truro Curling Club rink.
The Delaney and Pinkney rinks will represent Canada at the 2010 world senior curling championships. The 2008 winners, Eugene Hritzuk of Saskatchewan and Pat Sanders of British Columbia, will wear the Canadian colours at this year's world championship in Dunedin, New Zealand, from April 24 to May 3.
