Trail Retirees Curling’s First Session winner came down to a tie breaker on Tuesday at the Trail Curling Club.
Team Alvin Caron and Team Bruce Noble met in the sudden death tie breaker to declare a winner of the first session, and to book a place in the season-ending playoff.
Team Noble came out in the first end and took command with a steal of two. In the second end, Team Caron put a couple of rocks in the 12-foot that team Noble tried and failed to hit.
By the time Bruce came to throw his last rock, he was facing five scattered around the perimeter. Attempting a hit-and-roll double he made a nose-hit to sit one. Alvin followed the same line down the sheet for a nose hit to score six.
The momentum shift was almost palpable. Guarding a couple of great draws, Caron forced Noble to attempt an angle raise to the button. Over-curling the Noble rock moved a Caron rock far enough to count three. The fourth end was much like the third end, and Noble was left with another tap against two. This time his rock stayed wide and chipped his rock sideways.
With the score 11-2 the Noble side offered handshakes and congratulations to Team Caron.
Leading up to the tie breaker, both Team Noble and Team Caron were tied atop the standings heading into the First Session’s final game.
Noble faced the Harvey Handley foursome, with Handley quickly jumping out to a 4-2 lead. Team Noble responded with a single in the fifth, and a stellar end posting a steal of three in six. Handley took one in the seventh, but Noble held hammer in the eighth and took a single to seal the win, 7–5.
Team Alvin Caron, tied for first, took on team Tom Hall. Stealing their way to a 4-0 lead after two ends, it felt like a blowout in the works. Team Hall battled back with singles in the third, fourth and fifth ends to make it a one point game. However, Team Caron curled a near perfect sixth end, and scored three, cruising to a 9 – 4 victory, and gathering momentum for the tie breaker with team Noble.
In the other matches, Teams Brett Rakuson and Pat Burke were tied after three ends. But Rakuson wielding hammer pounded out four points in the fourth end. For good measure, Rakuson put up another four in the fifth end, without hammer. Going for the 8-ender, Team Burke gave up another two and it was handshakes after six ends.
Team Forrest Drinnan used the draw game and lots of rocks in play strategy against Team Murray Walsh. In the second end, Walsh with hammer hit-and-rolled for a 4-1 lead. Staying the course, Team Drinnan scored three in the the third, and stole two in the fourth to open a lead that he would not relinquish. Make the final 11-6 Drinnan.