Curlers dusted off their brooms and the Kootenay Savings Super League swept into another season last week at the Trail Curling Club.
After dropping down to six teams last year, the league is back up to eight rinks, losing two teams, but gaining four. The Darren Albo foursome is back along with Heather Nichol’s Senior ladies team plus two mixed teams led by Russ Beauchamp and the other, Corvus Construction, skipped by Deane Horning.
Parity reigned in the opening matches Tuesday that saw the four first games go down to last rock, while only one game finished an end early in the second round of matches.
The Senior Ladies’ rink stole one in the last end for a 6-5 win over Beauchamp’s mixed team, while Darrin Albo took control of his game against Ken Fines, making a delicate come around tap for three in the seventh end, to hold on for a 7-4 win. Bill VanYzerloo was in tough against the young guns, skipped by Justin Umpherville. VanYzerloo ran a triple in the seventh to hold Umpherville to one, then came through two ports to tap him off the four-foot to lay three in the eighth, before Umpherville responded with a perfect freeze to steal the end. VanYzerloo regrouped, taking a deuce in the ninth before stealing the last end to preserve a 7-5 victory.
Corvus Construction used two three-enders in the sixth and ninth ends to build a two point lead coming home against Myron Nichol, then watched Nichol just miss a cross ice double with his last shot, stealing the 10th and a 9-6 win.
The second round on Thursday featured a back and forth tilt between Myron Nichol and VanYzerloo. Nichol, facing three buried VanYzerloo stones in the ninth, made a highlight reel shot, executing a perfect wide angle raise to the button for one. VanYzerloo then made a come around tap off the four foot to lay one in the 10th and a 6-5 win.
The Albo and Beauchamp rinks had a game that featured a lot of Plan B shots, with the turning point coming in the ninth, when Russ had a free draw for three to seal a 9-5 win.
Heather Nichol’s Senior Ladies team had another great game, and were in control until Ken Fines made an angle raise take-out to lay four in the seventh. Heather was forced to take one in the eighth, but stole the ninth to be one down coming home without the hammer. Fines responded with a draw to the four-foot in the 10th and a 9-7 win.
Corvus Construction, skipped by Deane Horning, was down 6-4 to Justin Umpherville after seven ends, but also took advantage of a four ender, this one in the eighth, to jump into the lead, and preserve the 9-7 victory with a draw for one in the 10th.
The League continues this Thursday at the Trail Curling Club at 7 p.m.