The Lauren Jenkyns rink will defend its Dominion Curling Club provincial championship after winning Sunday’s B event qualifier at the northern playdowns.
The President’s Cup playoff champions from the St. Albert Curling Club crushed Laurie Knoll of Jasper Place 10-1 in only six ends at the Ottewell. A four-ender in four made it 7-1.
Jenkyns, third Kathy Piper, second Laurie Schreiner and lead Cindy Bobowik finished the 18-team competition at 4-1. The team’s only loss was 8-5 to Diana Backer of the Granite in Sunday’s A final. After a steal of one in four by Jenkyns to lead 4-2, Backer scored a deuce in five. Jenkyns regained the lead with one six before Backer counted four in seven to seal the deal.
Backer was Jenkyns’ lead last year at the Dominion provincials in Fort St. John, B.C. and nationals at Thunder Bay, Ont.
At nationals Jenkyns finished out of the playoffs at 3-3 in pool play.
Provincials are Oct. 17-18 at the Edmonton Garrison Curling Club and the sixth annual nationals are Nov. 24 to 29 at Halifax, Nova Scotia.
In the 25-team men’s draw at the Dominion playdowns the Craig King rink lost Sunday’s B semifinal 5-4 to last year’s national champion, Dan Sherrard of Jasper Place.
Sherrard stole two in the first end and after a steal of one in four led 4-1. King counted one in five and the next end stole a point to trail by one. Sherrard replied with one in seven and in the last end King settled for one.
Sherrard went on to win a B qualifier.
King, third Ralph Killips, second Elson Keown and lead Gary Hoekstra finished 2-2 overall. The team’s second game in the A event was Saturday’s 7-3 loss to Kevin Gunderson of the Crestwood. A three ender in seven by Gunderson dropped the President’s Cup champions from St. Albert into the B bracket.
The first game for defending champion Craig King in the men’s draw is 8:45 p.m. Monday against the Thistle.
King is expected to have last-rock shooter Jamie King, an alternate for the Team Canada rink skipped by Kevin Koe at worlds in Beijing, rejoin his veteran line-up by the middle of next week.
In the mixed draw the Doug McLennan rink curls Monday at 8:45 p.m. against Ellerslie.
Last year McLennan, third Alison Howes, second Colin Jenkyns, lead Lauren Jenkyns and alternate Karen Stephen lost the final 7-4 to Dean Darwent of the Avonair.
Lauren Jenkyns is also skipping a women’s rink at cities and the team’s first game is Tuesday at 8:45 p.m. against the Avonair or Derrick.
Last year’s line-up of skip Christina Monk, Jenkyns at third and the frontend duo of Kathy Piper and Laurie Schreiner reached the semifinals as the A qualifiers and in an extra end lost to Ellerslie.
Four qualifiers in the 12-team men’s, mixed and women’s double-knockout format advance to the April 15 semifinals at 7 p.m.
The finals are April 16 at 7 p.m.
Visit www.jasperplacecurling.ca for schedules and results.
Karynn Flory of St. Albert was named to the women’s all-star team at the recent Canadian Colleges Athletic Association championships at Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
The NAIT Ooks’ skip was joined on the all-star team by her lead, Katie Roskewich.
Flory’s rink, which included third Richelle Baer and second Klara Smiley, finished the eight-team round robin tied for third with the Mohawk Mountaineers at 4-3. The Red Deer Queens (6-1) finished first and the Humber Hawks (5-2) placed second.
NAIT advanced to the semifinal by defeating Mohawk 8-2 in the tiebreaker and in the playoffs lost 6-5 to Humber. In the final Red Deer defeated Humber 9-5.
Last year at nationals Flory lost the final 8-5 in nine ends to the Fanshawe Falcons in Edmonton.
The 2013 Alberta junior champion was the lead for Holly Whyte’s Avonair rink in the northern Alberta women’s playdowns in December.
Flory also curled at the Dominion Curling Club northern playdowns last weekend at the Ottewell as the third for Trina Ball’s line-up from the Avonair.
