Draw 10, Tuesday Afternoon, Early Ends

Intro:

There's a much bigger crowd here this afternoon. That makes sense. Ontario is playing NL on Sheet B, and that should be a fun game. The media bench is pretty full, so I've been pushed to the back row, but I'm still okay... so far.

Once again the upper deck of the John Labatt Centre is almost completely empty. As I mentioned this morning, it seems to me the organizers could easily have given away (or sold at $1 apiece) tickets for those seats to school children. The effect would have been to increase the net receipts of The Brier, increased interest, and increased concession sales. I'm sure there's a good reason they don't do this, but Alan and I are both curious.

Given that I'm living in Regina this year, I'd like to cover the SK-BC game, but it's on Sheet D, and I'm between Sheets A and B. TSN will almost surely be covering the ONT/NL game, which I admit will be of most interest to most viewers. We'll see what becomes available in terms of space later on.

End #1:

SK has the hammer to start. Well into the first end, SK has a corner guard and a rock deep in the rings behind the guard. They put up another guard on the same side. Cotter draws around the guard. Simmons is throwing skip's stones for SK, clears the guard and taps the BC stone to edge of the 12'. Cotter (skip, BC) has a double to sit 2; misses the double, but is shot rock, well-guarded. Simmons is left with only a draw to the 8' for one.

SK 1, BC 0

End #2:

Meanwhile Ont blanked their first end vs. NL, and AB blanked vs. Quebec.

Standard opening, with BC rocks in the rings and SK centre guards. SK comes around but overcurls, and Folk (2nd, BC) does a beautiful, gentle tap-out-and-roll to lie two behind the centre guard. Jones (2nd, SK) draws up to the BC stones, bounces. BC peels the centre guard and rolls to the edge of the 12'. SK hits and sticks.

BC hits that outer rock and hangs around with a biter on the outer edge. SK hits and keeps a biter, barely. Maskiewicz (KM from now on, BC 3rd) runs the SK centre rock back onto one of the BC rocks. Simmons runs a BC rock out and loses his shooter, leaving SK, BC, SK lined up in that order along the t-line.

Easy pickings for BC to lie two, but Simmons has a reasonable chance at a double, which he makes, but loses his shooter AND knocks out the biter, so it's a throw-through for a blank for BC.

SK 1, BC 0

And on the other sheets, ON blanks again, Alberta takes one against Quebec, and NS stole 3 in the first against NO.

End #3.

Standard opening again, but with SK ending up with one rock in the top 8' and two BC rocks near the button. Jones (BC 2nd) puts up another rock top 8'. Folk (BC 2nd) peels the guard. Jones removes one of the BC rocks from the top 4' and stays there himself. Hit and stick by KM. I can't see the far end very well, but it looks as if BC is shot with SK frozen to it. Laycock (SK skip, throwing 3rd's stones) hits the BC rock in the top 12' and rolls to the side.

KM tried a double?? hard to tell, but the result was to leave SK sitting 1-2 and BC sitting 3-4.

Laycock removes one BC rock and taps the other to the back 12 so SK sits 1-2-3. BC removes one SK rock and pushes another one back but is sitting wide open. With his first stone, Simmons tried a thin double (or else was just way wide of the broom). Cotter removes the SK shot stone but leaves SK 2nd shot. Simmons doubles off the BC stones to lie two. Cotter tries a draw to the button for one and makes it.

SK 1, BC 1

Side note: it's nice to see Pete James here. He's sort of the dean of London, Ontario, sportscasting.