Off the Broom - News from the Kincardine Curling Club

There was a great turnout at Boston Pizza for the fund-raiser for Les Shane and the team that is going to the Canadian Men’s Masters Championships at Cloverdale and White Rock, British Columbia, beginning April 2. Lots of good raffle prizes were up for grabs. Wishing you good luck and good curling, fellas!

Local curlers Barb and Ray Kester, along with Robert and Barb Ross, participated in the provincial finals of the Grand Masters competition in Thornhill. They had a bit of a rough go, ending up with a 1-3 record.

It has been a busy month for bonspiels.

Laura Haight and Barb Ross were in Elora, March 3. Let’s put it this way, their jokes were the best part of their  day. 
Jen Lawrie took a team to the Allenford ladies bonspiel. With her, were Jen White, Sheri Douglas and Erin Simmons. Winners!

Teeswater held the Gay Lea ladies bonspiel, March 12 and three Kincardine teams took part. Best of all, one team  was the overall bonspiel winners. Way to go, Laura Haight, Jen Lawrie, Heather McFadden and Janice Matchett! The other teams  were Barb Kester, with Beth Mimnagh, Barb Ross and Pat Emmerton; and Shelley Henderson’s team of Jenny Showalter, Linda Humphries and Meredith Harron.

St. Patrick’s Day was the day of our annual ladies spiel and a great one it was. Finishing in first place in the early draw, were Anne Burton, Gail Macintosh, Pat Emmerton, and Carol Quinn. In second place, were Laura Haight, Heather McFadden, Gerry Maxfield and Barb McBride. In third, were Jen White, Erin Simmons, Allison Dinsmore and Olivia Hinchberger. Other early-draw participants were the Smith team of Palmerston, Kincardine’s Heather Struthers, Janice Blackwell, Carolyn Norman, and Dawn Zettel; and team Erica McKeag with Meaghan Boulton, Carolyn Courtney and Janelle  Moffat.

Late-draw winners of Goderich, were Vicki Culbert, Cathy Murdock, Brenda Parker, and Donna Adams. Placing second, was Andrea Turcotte and her team. Other curlers, were Ripley’s Jackie Nesbitt and Myra Walden; Tammy Thompson and her Wingham friends; and Kincardine’s Shelley Henderson and her team.

The Grey Bruce Senior Men have wound up their curling season. March 7 in Walkerton, Kincardine’s team of Jim Roberts, Glyn Pinkney, Mark Luckhardt and Richard Emmerton, was the big winner, finishing first on the late draw and first overall in that spiel. In the early draw, the team of Peter Kirkpatrick, Art Doughty, Les Shane and Bob Harvey went 1-1. The final wind-up bonspiel was held in Meaford, March 14, and finishing in fourth place was the same team of Richard, Mark, Glyn and Jim. I think the guys already have their golf clubs all shined up and ready to roll!

Peter Newton took a team to Arthur, March 17 to participate in a bonspiel.

The OFLeague finished up its season with a luncheon and a final couple of games last week.

Regular draws have now finished and the second-half winners were Russell Lee, Dawson and Chris Farrell and Nathan Troke, Monday; Noel MacIntosh, Beth Mimnagh, Richard Emmerton and Dan Showalter, Thursday (early). Wednesday and Thursday (late) do not declare winners. The Tuesday skip's choice “A” division was Sam Turcotte and his team, winning in an extra end over David Plourde and his team. “B’ division winners were headed up by JD Matheson, Les Shane’s team was another winner; and the “Bologna Bowl” champs were skipped by Craig Milburn.

While reading the “Tankard Times,” I came across an interesting tidbit: The 1974 Brier in London was the last Brier in history where the thrower’s body had to come to a complete stop before touching the hog line after delivering the rock. 

Well that is about it for this curling season. Still lots more curling coming up on the television so we won’t go into withdrawal. Don’t forget the Annual General Meeting which is open to all members and will be held Sunday, April 8. Come out and enjoy a barbecue lunch prior to the meeting.