(CORRECTION): A couple of sharp-eyed readers advised me that I erred in one of the Virden results in the article posted last evening. Jace Freeman, in fact, defeated Kelly Marnoch to win one of the berths available in Western Manitoba. The listing in the article has been corrected!)

The father-son combo of Greg & Derek Blanchard, following a long tradition of dad calling the game & throwing first while son throw the finals stones, have won an invitation to compete in the Viterra Championship in Stonewall in February.

Playing on a team listed as Joey Witherspoon (AMCC) but with Dan Gagne and Taylor McIntyre on the ice for the berth win, the Blanchard team gave up a four early but fought back to steal one on the ninth to take a 6-5 lead over Travis Bale (Ft Rouge).

Blanchard (the younger) made a last rock draw to bite the button coming home. It was a straight spot in the ice and Bale needed to squeak past a centre line guard to nose the counter straight back past a rock of his own in the back four foot circle. It didn’t curl up enough and Blanchard stole another for a 7-5 berth win.

Also at Deer Lodge, Daniel Birchard with long time teammates Kelly Fordyce and Andrew Peck posted an 8-3 berth win over Darren Perche (Charleswood). Brody Moore, nursing a sore knee provided moral support from the seating lobby.

A third Winnipeg berth was awarded Saturday as well. Thomas McGillivary (St. Vital) beat Devon Wiebe (Charleswood) 10-6 in that berth game.

In Virden, Jace Freeman-Virden (7-6 over Kelly Marnoch-Carberry) and Cale Dunbar-Brandon (8-5 over Steve Irwin-Brandon) won the two berths available Saturday.

In Dauphin, Greg Todoruk-Dauphin (9-4 over Kyle Forsyth-Dauphin) and Jeff Stewart-Gladstone (7-6 over Glenn Toews-Dauphin) won berths.

In LaSalle, Mark Lowdon-LaSalle beat Randy Neufeld-LaSalle 9-6 and 7-5 to win the best of three berth playoff.

In Gimli, Emerson Klimpke-Stonewall (9-3 over Justin Richter-Beausejour) and Justoin Reynolds-Winnipeg Beach (7-2 over Wayne Ewasko-Beausejour) won two of the available Interlake berths.

All three berths in the playoff at Clearwater will be won on Sunday along with the final berth in Virden, Dauphin and Beausejour and four more at Deer Lodge.

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In Scotties Regionals Tiffany Armstrong (Dauphin) won a pair of games over Terry Ursel (Arden-Landowne) and Shaela Hayward (Carman) won two over Rhonda Varnes (Manitou) to win the first two berths awarded this weekend.

Four berths will be assigned Sunday at Deer Lodge with two games at 10AM and two at 2pm.