Please don't drive off with our equipment!
To say the Gold Star Bonspiel was eventful would be the biggest understatement of the century even though the century is just seven years young.
We weren't sure the trip to Meteghan would be possible because a storm was supposed to be heading south from Cape Breton early Friday morning. The night before we tentatively decided to call the whole thing off but come the morning there wasn't a lick of snow on the ground so we took the risky decision to go after all.
It was to be a wise move on our part.
Peter and I did manage to make it a couple of hours before our 10:20 PM match with Paul Comeau of Clare but Darren and Phil arrived mere minutes, no seconds, before we were to start. Comeau's team graciously waited while the boys got ready and the re-match was set to begin.
I say re-match because it was Comeau who knocked us out of the Gold Star last year in the Consolation Semi-Final to the tune of 11-4. We always seem to draw tough opponents in our first games of tournaments and this was no exception.
We exchanged singles through the first four ends but steals in five and six put us up 5-2 but we played a poor seventh end and Comeau came back with three to tie it up coming home.
Although we had the hammer, Comeau had his blue rock about 90% buried in the four foot which made Peter's attempt at picking it out very difficult. He came close with his first attempt but that looked to be the ballgame as Comeau had a chance to guard any second attempt he would have.
Amazingly, Comeau hogged his final stone and we had another shot. The rock looked outside but came back on line and squeezed past the front guard and knocked their stone out for two and the victory. We were the last game to finish and the crowd of close to 100 were impressed and let us know when it was over. On a side note, Comeau would not lose another game, as he rattled off four straight wins to take the B Division Title.
We were happy to win, not only because we advanced but we wouldn't have to play until 1:30 the next afternoon as opposed to 9:15 AM if we lost, we ended up not getting back to our cottage until after 2 AM due to the slippery conditions but we didn't care and the boys had a couple of drinks to celebrate our big triumph.
Our next game pitted us against Doug Glenen from Bridgetown. It was here that a major disaster was avoided in the nick of time.
Darren's Father dropped off his son and Phil but forgot to pop the trunk and drove off with their equipment. Peter had to run out of the club, get in his car and chase after him. Luckily, the Father is a slow driver and Peter got to him and got back to the club in time.
The Glenen match was our best of the weekend. We trailed 4-1 after three but we were unfortunate to be behind. I always thought we could come back and sure enough we answered with four to go up 5-4. The teams traded deuces in five and six and we held Glenen to one in seven to leave the match deadlocked 7-7 as we entered the final end.
We had the hammer but we wouldn't need to throw the final rock. Glenen's team couldn't get anything going and we either made the hits or did the come-arounds. The Bridgetown skip had to try a circus shot with three of our stones in the rings. He missed and we were in the quarter-finals for the second year in a row.
It was a great achievement to get back to this stage but Phil was starting to feel really sick and our next opponents, the Armstrong rink from Middleton, had won many Gold Star Patches over the years. It was also ironic that they were staying at the cottage next to us.
As it turned out, we were outclassed from the first rock, they were on top of their game and we lost 8-1 in five ends. To top that off, we got back to the cottage and there was no toilet paper, a perfect end to a perfect day.
This put us in the consolation semi-finals where we took on Bill Newell of Yarmouth. It was a crazy game but it didn't start that way.
We led 2-1 in the third end when Newell missed a hit and roll to lie shot. Peter had a tricky shot to the far right to take four. The shot was perfect and the shooter stayed in for five and a 7-1 lead.
Whether we got nervous or it was the other team playing better, perhaps both, they cut into the lead and made it 7-6 after five ends. Newell had a chance to steal two and take the lead in the sixth, but 'Mr. Clutch' made the draw to the four-foot to give us the all important two point lead.
A steal of two in seven put us four up and we ran them out of rocks. It was a good test of character for us to hang in there when things started to look bleak.
We were all overjoyed to make the consolation final. Due to the fact that we were behind schedule, the break was just 15 minutes long.
Dean Ring of Digby stood between us and a coveted Gold Star Patch. Despite the lack of rest, we played fairly well and had a chance to tie the match at four in the fifth. But Peter's attempted split came up just a touch light and the end was blanked.
We did make it 4-3 but a three pointer in seven stretched the gap to four and it was lights out. To come just one win shy of a patch is disappointing, but considering the circumstances with Phil's sickness and Darren having not played for six weeks it was a great run for us.
I managed to come out of the whole thing with a cooler from the prize table and a pile of memories as well as a valuable lesson - if you plan on staying a good ways from a store, make sure to bring some damn toilet paper for emergency purposes!
Cheers,
Terry
http://www.geocities.com/rajuncadiens/curling
We weren't sure the trip to Meteghan would be possible because a storm was supposed to be heading south from Cape Breton early Friday morning. The night before we tentatively decided to call the whole thing off but come the morning there wasn't a lick of snow on the ground so we took the risky decision to go after all.
It was to be a wise move on our part.
Peter and I did manage to make it a couple of hours before our 10:20 PM match with Paul Comeau of Clare but Darren and Phil arrived mere minutes, no seconds, before we were to start. Comeau's team graciously waited while the boys got ready and the re-match was set to begin.
I say re-match because it was Comeau who knocked us out of the Gold Star last year in the Consolation Semi-Final to the tune of 11-4. We always seem to draw tough opponents in our first games of tournaments and this was no exception.
We exchanged singles through the first four ends but steals in five and six put us up 5-2 but we played a poor seventh end and Comeau came back with three to tie it up coming home.
Although we had the hammer, Comeau had his blue rock about 90% buried in the four foot which made Peter's attempt at picking it out very difficult. He came close with his first attempt but that looked to be the ballgame as Comeau had a chance to guard any second attempt he would have.
Amazingly, Comeau hogged his final stone and we had another shot. The rock looked outside but came back on line and squeezed past the front guard and knocked their stone out for two and the victory. We were the last game to finish and the crowd of close to 100 were impressed and let us know when it was over. On a side note, Comeau would not lose another game, as he rattled off four straight wins to take the B Division Title.
We were happy to win, not only because we advanced but we wouldn't have to play until 1:30 the next afternoon as opposed to 9:15 AM if we lost, we ended up not getting back to our cottage until after 2 AM due to the slippery conditions but we didn't care and the boys had a couple of drinks to celebrate our big triumph.
Our next game pitted us against Doug Glenen from Bridgetown. It was here that a major disaster was avoided in the nick of time.
Darren's Father dropped off his son and Phil but forgot to pop the trunk and drove off with their equipment. Peter had to run out of the club, get in his car and chase after him. Luckily, the Father is a slow driver and Peter got to him and got back to the club in time.
The Glenen match was our best of the weekend. We trailed 4-1 after three but we were unfortunate to be behind. I always thought we could come back and sure enough we answered with four to go up 5-4. The teams traded deuces in five and six and we held Glenen to one in seven to leave the match deadlocked 7-7 as we entered the final end.
We had the hammer but we wouldn't need to throw the final rock. Glenen's team couldn't get anything going and we either made the hits or did the come-arounds. The Bridgetown skip had to try a circus shot with three of our stones in the rings. He missed and we were in the quarter-finals for the second year in a row.
It was a great achievement to get back to this stage but Phil was starting to feel really sick and our next opponents, the Armstrong rink from Middleton, had won many Gold Star Patches over the years. It was also ironic that they were staying at the cottage next to us.
As it turned out, we were outclassed from the first rock, they were on top of their game and we lost 8-1 in five ends. To top that off, we got back to the cottage and there was no toilet paper, a perfect end to a perfect day.
This put us in the consolation semi-finals where we took on Bill Newell of Yarmouth. It was a crazy game but it didn't start that way.
We led 2-1 in the third end when Newell missed a hit and roll to lie shot. Peter had a tricky shot to the far right to take four. The shot was perfect and the shooter stayed in for five and a 7-1 lead.
Whether we got nervous or it was the other team playing better, perhaps both, they cut into the lead and made it 7-6 after five ends. Newell had a chance to steal two and take the lead in the sixth, but 'Mr. Clutch' made the draw to the four-foot to give us the all important two point lead.
A steal of two in seven put us four up and we ran them out of rocks. It was a good test of character for us to hang in there when things started to look bleak.
We were all overjoyed to make the consolation final. Due to the fact that we were behind schedule, the break was just 15 minutes long.
Dean Ring of Digby stood between us and a coveted Gold Star Patch. Despite the lack of rest, we played fairly well and had a chance to tie the match at four in the fifth. But Peter's attempted split came up just a touch light and the end was blanked.
We did make it 4-3 but a three pointer in seven stretched the gap to four and it was lights out. To come just one win shy of a patch is disappointing, but considering the circumstances with Phil's sickness and Darren having not played for six weeks it was a great run for us.
I managed to come out of the whole thing with a cooler from the prize table and a pile of memories as well as a valuable lesson - if you plan on staying a good ways from a store, make sure to bring some damn toilet paper for emergency purposes!
Cheers,
Terry
http://www.geocities.com/rajuncadiens/curling
posted by curlerboi @ 8:46 p.m.
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