TSC Tankard Page Playoffs

Howard - Corner is the feature

End 1: Hart's first rock clears the house of Corner rocks, leaving some guards out front, and a Howard rock in the back 12-foot. Corner hits and sticks to it.Hart puts a rock in the back of the four-foot. Corner freezes to it. Howard freezes to that on the button. Corner's last rock is burnt. Howard's last rock is far short. Howard 1 - Corner 0.

End 2: Hart's second shot is to a house with a Howard rock in the front four-foot, a Corner one in the back 8-foot, with a corner and left center guards. Thjere is a hole leading to the Howard rock. Hart's attempt to put a guard in that hole may have left a little port. Corner's theirs proves there is a port! A Corner rock now sits where Howard's was. Howard finds the port as well (it is tiny!), removes the recently planted corner rock, and slides into cover as shot rock. Corner draws around all the guards and puts his rock as shot just off the four-foot at 9 o'clock. Howard puches it out and sits two. Corner hits it and sticks for one.

Wow - this is some curling. Werenich says that if it keeps going like this, it will be a barn-burner.

Howard 1 - Corner 1.

In the other match, Epping missed a draw for three, so Harris leads Lobel 2-0.

End 3: Hart's last rock removes an unguarded Corner rock and sticks for shot. There is a center guard and two corner guards on the other side from the shot rock. Corner removes the Howard rock, but does not get a roll behind cover. Howard removes the Corner rock and rolls into the house, pretty open on the edge of the four-foot. Corner hits and sticks, also open. Howard blanks the end.

Meanwhile, Harris steals one against Lobel after a great in-off by Epping. Harris 3 - Lobel 0.

End 4: Corner center guard, Howard rock at the front of the four-foot, and one frozen to a Corner rock in the eight-foot at a perfect angle. Corner's first third rock ends up behind these in the eight foot behind the T. Hart does not get the expected curls and slides to the back of the 12. (His shooting percentage at the moment is 70%, which seems low to me from what I have seen.) On the second third rock Base (Corner's third) punches the frozen Howard rock, and sticks. Hart removes one of the Corner rocks, slides over into some cover in front of a Corner rock. Corner removes Howard's counting stones, and is now sitting three. There are three Howard rocks in the house as well, so Howard is going after all the Corner rocks - he gets only one, so COrner still sits two. Corner tosses a guard up just to make it hard for Howard to find a way into the middle - he will try a tap shot, which Werenich is describing as 'hard - you have to match up the weight against the amount of broom you take'. Howard's rock overcurls and Corner steals 2!

Howard 1 - Corner 3.

End 5: With three rocks each to go Corner wants to guard his counting rock in the four foot, behing a Howard rock in the eight-foot, and some center guards. Hart clears away a couple of front guards. Corner puts up another. Howard removes one of them and also his rock in the eight-foot. Corner freezes to his own rock - very nice work. Werenich - "How do you get your point now?" Howard is considering giving them one. One of Corner's leads suggests a shot Howard had not considered, he does that, and gets one!

Howard 2 - Corner 3.

I do wonder in ways about this match - it is fun to watch. There is a sentence above - "Howard's last rock is far short." - but if yo note the context you have to wonder about whether Howard's public display of temper at missing the shot was sincere.

In the other match Rob Lobel makes an utterly key raise into the button against four Harris rocks. Ten stones in the house! Epping wrecks on the guard. Lobel steals one in the fourth end and is down only 3-2, where earlier prospects had been giving up 4 to Harris.

End 6: Howard tossing up center guards - one Corner rock in the house. Corner puts another one in, Howard removes it, rolls over in front of the other (vaguely). Missed what Corner did, and now Howard has two in the house, all open. Corner removes one Howard rock and rolls behind cover. Oh oopps - now I see what Corner did - the cover is largely gone - there is an off-center guard now. Hart removes the Corner rock and rolls behind the guard. Corner's rock moves the Howard rock but slides into the open. Two Howard rocks in the house. Hart removes it and rolls behind the guard - three Howard rocks in the house - not trivially doublable. Corner will freeze - it undercurls and bumps but is guarded. Howard moves it a bit - now one Corner shot rock and four Howard rocks in the house. Corner tosses us a guard near the center. Howard is an inch or two heavy - in the back of the four-foot, second shot rock to Corner's. Corner looks at first as if he is heavy but chips away the Howard rock for two.

Howard 2 - Corner 5.

End 7: A succession of small errors on the shots - finally they clean up and Howard blanks.

Over at the other match Harris 4 - Lobel 2.

End 8: Howard gets 2 (was worried about eating).

Howard 4 - Corner 5.

End 9: Golf took me away for a bit. Corner is playing to let Howard steal 1. It is a lot of fun watching Corner and Base negotiate shots. In the end Corner takes 1. with a gorgeous draw against a Howard rock in the button.

Howard 4 - Corner 6.

Meanwhile Lobel has stolen 3 in the 8th and leads HArris 7-4 in the 8th.

End 10: Howard tosses up corner guards on opposite sides and Corner goes into the house twice, one in the four-foot and one in the front of the eight foot. Corner peels one of the guards. Howard replaces it. Corner peels the other one.

Meanwhile Harris gets 2 to trail 7-6 going into the 10th.

Howard goes in behind the remaining guard. Corner moves the remaining guard, nearly removing some of his stones in the house. Howard puts up another guard. There are still two Corner rocks in the house. Corner peels it. Howard clears one of the Corner rocks, and leaves his rock in the front of the house. Corner removes the rear Howard rock and slides back - Howard will have to take both Corner rocks. He misses the double, removing one, but leave Corner a wide open shot to win. He makes it!

Corner is in the final. We see Howard again tonight.

Over to Harris-Lobel.

Lobel removes a Harris stone - Epping making his last shot as Harris skip stone. Harris has one guarded shot in the house and wants one more. It is almost perfect - sits right on the other one one, which is on the button; they will be hard to dislodge. Lobel misses them both and Harris will meet Howard again this evening!

Wild afternoon.