It took until the conclusion of the 9PM Saturday draw, the final round robin draw of the event, to sort out the playoff positions in Pools C & D of the Manitoba Men’s Club Championship underway at the Brandon Curling Club.

In Pool C, Brett MacDonald (Fort Rouge) earned first place with a 5W-1L record by beating Dale Fust (LaSalle) on the late draw. Fust ended round robin play at 4W-2L along with Derek Blanchard (AMCC) and Mark Anderson (Riverview). The second place team is determined based on head to head results which show Fust defeated both Blanchard and Anderson.

In Pool D, Travis Taylor (Brandon) and Andrew Irving (Fort Rouge) won late draw games to finish at 5W-1L to earn the two playoff spots from their group. Allan Croy (Petersfield) and Kelly Marnoch (Carberry) finished at 4W-2 L and out of the playoffs.

Earlier, a Trevor Loreth (Granite) 5-2 win over Kyle Forsyth (Dauphin) earned Loreth the second playoff spot from Pool B with a 5W-1L record. Corey Anderson (Charleswood) had already locked up the first spot with a perfect 6W-OL record.

At the same time as Loreth was winning, in Pool A, Paul Scinocca (St. Vital) posted a 6-2 win over Graham McFarlane (AMCC) giving both a 5W-1L record and the two playoff spots from the pool. The Scinocca win eliminated both Jesse McCullough (Fort Garry) and Darren Perche (Charleswood) who won their final games to improve to 4W-2L.

In the playoff quarterfinals at 9AM Sunday, Scinocca plays Taylor, MacDonald plays Loreth, Irving plays McFarlane, and Anderson plays Fust.

In the Women’s Championship, Stacey Fordyce (Brandon) has completed a perfect 5W-0L round robin and will advance to the playoffs Sunday. The other three playoff positions will be determined on the 9AM draw Sunday. Deb McCreanor (LaSalle) has a 4W-0L record and is assured of advancing. In Pool A, Betty Buurma (Carberry) plays Patti Ulrich (St. Vital). The winner will improve to 4W-1L and grab the second spot from that pool. Judy Colwell (East St. Paul) has a 3W-2L record while Liza Park (Deloraine) is at 3W-1L with a game to play.

(3PM: October 30) MCCREANOR, FORDYCE STILL PERFECT IN WOMEN’S CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS With three games yet to play as Nature’s Bounty Women’s Club Championship play began Saturday, former champion Deb McCreanor (LaSalle) had a perfect 2W-0L record, tied with Betty Buurma (Carberry).

The two met on the noon draw at Brandon Curling Club, knowing the winner would gain a real advantage looking to tomorrow’s playoff round as only two teams from each round-robin pool will advance.

McCreanor jumped out to a 4-0, three end lead before Buurma scored a single, with a double kill up the centre line facing three. The final score was 7-2 as McCreanor improved to 3W-0L. Patti Ulrich (St. Vital) sits at 3W-1L after a noon draw win over Kristin McLellan (Brandon).

In the other Women’s pool, former three time champion Stacey Fordyce and her Brandon team lead the way with a perfect 3W-0L record. Liza Park (Deloraine) and Judy Colwell (East St. Paul) have 2W-1L records. Fordyce plays Colwell on the 2:30PM draw in a game that will have a big impact on playoff positions.

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(2PM: October 30) ANDERSON, LORETH, MCFARLANE ALL CLAIM PLAYOFF SPOTS Trevor Loreth and his Granite team bounced back from last night’s loss to beat Brooks Freeman (Virden) on the Nature’s Bounty Men’s Club Championship noon draw in Brandon. At 4-1, Loreth trails Corey Anderson (Charleswood) in Pool B whose record is a perfect 6W-0L after a last shot victory on the noon draw over Dean North (Carman). Anderson and Loreth are assured of being the two teams advancing to the Sunday playoff round from this group.

In Pool A, Graham McFarlane (AMCC) is also at 5W-0L and assured of advancing to the playoffs following a noon draw victory over Luc Audette (Lorette). Darren Perche (Charleswood) kept playoff hopes alive with an extra end steal to hand Paul Scinocca (St. Vital) a first loss. Scinocca with a 4W-1L record, Perche at 3W-2L, and Jesse McCullough (Fort Garry) also at 3W-2L all still have a chance to be the second playoff team from Pool A.

Pools C&D will be somewhat clarified after the 2:30 draw.

In Pool C, Derek Blanchard (AMCC) leads with a 4W-1L record. He plays 3W-1L Brett MacDonald (Fort Rouge). Dale Fust (La Salle), skipped by Randy Neufeld, is also at 3W-1L.

In Pool D, the situation is identical. Allan Croy (Petersfield), at 4W-1L, plays Travis Taylor (Brandon) who has a 3W-1L record. Andrew Irving (Fort Rouge) has the same 3W-1L record.

(11:30PM, October 29) ANDERSON WINS KEY GAME, IMPROVES TO 5-0 Corey Anderson’s Charleswood team has a perfect 5W-0L record with a game to play on Saturday in the Nature’s Bounty Men’s Cub Championship after a 7-3 victory Friday evening over previously unbeaten Trevor Loreth and his Granite team. At 3W-1L, Loreth is still in second place in Pool B.

With only a game to play on Saturday, Team Anderson may also have a significant advantage in Sunday’s playoff rounds as the other pool leaders and potential playoff teams will play at least two and possibly three games Saturday

In Pool A, Graham McFarlane (AMCC) and Paul Scinocca (St. Vital) are both perfect at 4W-0L with two to play.

In Pool C, Dale Fust’s La Salle team, skipped by Randy Neufeld, has a 3W-0L record and will play three on Saturday. Brett MacDonald (FRCC) and Derek Blanshard (AMCC) both have 3W-1L records and will play two Saturday.

The Pool D leaders, at 3W-1L, are Allan Croy (Petersfield) and Travis Taylor (Brandon). They’ll play two Saturday. At 2W-1L, three teams in Pool D have three games Saturday so more than the others, this group is still wide open. The three include Kelly Marnoch (Carberry), Brad Wainikka (Morden) and Andrew Irving (Fort Rouge)

(5PM OCTOBER 29) LORETH-ANDERSON MATCH A KEY GAME UPCOMING IN BRANDON: It is still too early in the event to make much of the developing story at Manitoba’s Nature’s Bounty Men’s Club Championship but there is no doubt that the late draw (9pm) tonight has a key game in Pool B. Trevor Loreth and his Granite team, at 3W-0L, and Corey Anderson and his Charleswood team, at 4W-0L) both won on the afternoon draw. The two meet tonight and if both continue to lead the way in that pool, the winner of the game will have the advantage in that all-important win between the two.

In Pool A, with wins this afternoon, Graham McFarlane and his Assiniboine Memorial team improved to 4W-0L while Paul Scinocca of St. Vital improved to 3W-0L.

In Pool C, the Dale Fust team from LaSalle, skipped by Randy Neufeld, is the lone unbeaten team with a 2W-0L record.

In Pool D, Allan Croy of Petersfield (3W-0L) and Kelly Marnoch of Carberry (2W-OL) are still unbeaten.

All records noted are as the 6PM draw goes on the ice in Brandon. Play continues with two draws yet Friday and five on Saturday.

In the Women’s competition, former champion DebMcCreanor’s LaSalle team leads Pool A with a 2W-0L record tied with Betty Buurma and her Carberry team. The Carberry foursome improved to 2W-0L this after when Buurma made a last rock angle raise takeout of a Kristin McLellan rock in the four foot. McLellan, with her last rock had made a double raise to the four foot to sit shot stone.

Former champion Stacey Fordyce and her Brandon team have a 3W-0L record to lead Pool B.