Retiree curlers are getting ramped up for the annual Retirees Bonspiel at the Trail Curling Club in the Trail Memorial Centre this weekend.
A total of 30 teams from across the Kootenays will compete in the bonspiel, including a dozen from the Trail Retiree Curling Club. The action starts Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. with four draws hitting the hack Friday and Saturday, while the semifinal and final draws will go on Sunday. The first draw begins sweeping at 8:30 a.m. on each day.
In this week’s Retiree curling, Team Dan Horan had the Kevin Oliver foursome right where they wanted them, with Oliver up 9-0 after three ends. The Horan side scored seven over the next three ends to reduce the lead to two, but after a blank in the seventh, Oliver ran Horan out of rocks in the eighth to secure the win.
In a back and forth battle it was team Brett Rakuson that held a 6-2 lead after six against the Forrest Drinnan foursome. The turning point was a steal of one in the seventh to extend the lead to three. Drinnan could only manage two in the eighth, falling just short of the tie.
In a tight game between teams Alvin Caron and Tom Hall, it was team Caron that held a one point lead after seven. With Alvin’s last shot he guarded shot stone, just back of the button. That left Hall with a six-foot angle raised takeout. The Hall front end swept like mad and made the shot for four. Make the final 8-5, Hall.
In the first end of the Ernie Brown versus Primo Secco match, it was Primo drawing against four, and cutting it down to a steal of two that set the tone. With the score 9-4 for Secco after six, Brown had a possible double take out for six but only removed one Secco stone for two, for a 9–8 Secco victory.
Team Murray Walsh faced off against the new skip, Doug Shadbolt. It was close going into the fourth end when Walsh stole two, followed by a steal of three in the fifth. With a lead of 9-2 after seven, the gloves came off and it was handshakes all around.
The turning point was a steal of three in the fourth for team Serge Pasquali. Team Pat Burke with steals in the seventh and eighth closed the gap but came up one short, for a 6-5 Pasquali win.
Down one with hammer in the eighth could team Harvey Handley beat team Clare Coleman? It came down to the last rock, and despite the enormous pressure, Harvey came through and won the game 7-6.