Week 7 of the Kootenay Savings Super League provided some very impressive shot-making on all the sheets Thursday night, highlighted by a dramatic Ken Fines comeback win over the Darren Albo rink.
Albo put team Fines on the ropes with a steal of two in the sixth end on a perfect hit and roll behind cover, to seemingly take a commanding 6-2 lead. Tenaciously, Team Fines clawed its way back by scoring six in the final four ends, including an impressive runback-takeout in nine and then feathered his stone between two staggered guards for a takeout in the tenth for a dramatic 8-6 win.
Team Marcus Partridge came out of the gates immediately applying pressure on the Sitkum IT Team, skipped by Nando Salviulo. Partridge strategically lined up three stones on the left-hand side of the sheet, but rather than a cold draw to the four foot, Salviulo made a perfect double takeout and roll for shot-rock, salvaging a single.
Team Partridge was relentless, applying pressure and scoring two in the fourth with a perfect 16-foot runback to the button removing the opposing shot stone. Partridge stole two in five to take a commanding 5-2 lead. But, Sitkum IT blanked the sixth and started their comeback in the seventh, scoring one, then stealing one in eight and another two in nine to capture the lead going into the final end.
It looked as though skip Salviulo was about to steal again in the tenth when Marcus made a terrific double with his first stone leaving Nando with a hit-and-roll behind cover to hold Team Partridge to one and salvage a tie. However, Salviulo’s rock ran straight for a nose hit leaving Partridge an open hit for three and the 8-6 win.
It was the ‘battle of the roses’ on sheet D, as the Nichols went head to head. Team Heather Nichol started out strong as they kept Team Myron Nichol chasing in the first end. The ladies forced Myron’s team to one with a cold draw to the button. Heather had an opportunity for an open hit to score one in the second when her perfectly thrown stone picked eight feet from the shot stone, giving the men a steal of three. The women continued to play well through the rest of the game, yet, were on the wrong side of the penny at critical moments, falling short in a 6-3 Myron Nichol win.
The Team Borsatto ladies played a strong game against Team Russ Beauchamp, with their opponents on the ropes in the seventh end. Russ facing four, attempted a delicate draw to the four foot. The Beauchamp sweepers, realizing that the weight was slightly down, began pounding the brooms to the encouraging calls from third Danny Tweed to, “Hurry hard, hard on it!”
The two sweepers bore down and dragged Beauchamp’s rock just far enough to out-count what team Borsatto hoped to be a steal one or two of their well-positioned stones. This proved to be the ‘Kootenay Savings turning point,’ as Team Beauchamp went on to a 6-2 victory.
Team Jill Winters squared off with Team Horning who had been struggling of late. Winters jumped out to a quick two point lead and looked to be scoring again with a steal in the second, when skip Horning of Bedard Contracting Ltd made a spectacular run-back triple takeout. When the dust settled, the result was a five-ender for Team Bedard Contracting, much to the surprise of team Winters and their spectators. The game went back and forth as they each picked up deuces while Deane and his foursome held their lead and an 8-5 win
Super League curling goes tonight at the Trail Curling Club at 7 p.m.