Second time around, Trevor Loreth and his Granite team made no mistake. They had lost the Manitoba Club Championship final two years ago in Melita, the last time the event was played.

This year, in the Nature’s Bounty Manitoba Men’s Club Championship game in Brandon, they won their first Manitoba title with a victory over Andrew Irving and his Fort Rouge team.

Tied 2-2 playing the fourth end, Irving made a double kill to lie four but Brad Haight, throwing last stones for Loreth as he has done for years, made good on a draw to the four foot for a single point.

On the next end, it was the Loreth team (Brad Haight, Ryan Lowdon, Brett Cawson) counting three when Irving threw his last – it didn’t curl up enough and he bumped a Loreth stone in for a steal of four. All out attack on the sixth didn’t pay off and the game ended with the Loreth team savouring victory.

In the women’s final between unbeaten teams, Stacey Fordyce (Brandon) led Deb McCreanor 2-0 after three ends but gave up three consecutive singles to trail 3-2 after six. A point on the seventh tied the game and gave McCreanor last rock coming home. McReanor got an early rock behind cover in the four foot circle and in the end, Fordyce was left with only an attempt at a triple raise takeout to salvage the situation. McCreanor and her team (Trisha Hill, Michelle Buchanan, Jennifer Cawson) win their second Manitoba title without having to throw their last rock.

The Loreth and McCreanor teams will have the opportunity to represent Manitoba at the national championship in Ottawa in December.

(3PM: October 31) FORDYCE-MCCREANOR, LORETH-IRVING FINALS IN BRANDON Trevor Loreth and his Granite team will play Andrew Irving (Fort Rouge) in the final of the Manitoba Men’s Club Championship in Brandon.

Trevor Loreth (Granite) – Travis Taylor (Brandon) and it might be that a first end shot by Loreth’s fourth thrower Brad Haight changed the entire game. Haight was perfect with his first shot past a guard tight to the ring to tap out a Taylor biter at the back of the 12 foot circle a foot from the wall. It brought a front biter into play and turned into a deuce when a force or even a steal were real possibilities.

Although Taylor came back to score two on the second end, the Loreth team controlled play: a blank third end, a two on the fourth, a steal of three when Taylor got a bad luck roll on a last shot runback kill attenpt on end #5. The score was 7-2 after five ends and ended 7-3 in six.

Irving advanced with a win over Dale Fust (LaSalle). With Irving leading by one playing the sixth end, Team Fust skip Randy Neufeld drew the button with his last rock but Irving followed with just enough more weight to angle tap the rock and stick for one. When the Fort ROUge team stole two on the seventh, the game ended.

In the Women’s championship, former champions Stacey Fordyce (Brandon) and Deb McCreanor (LaSalle) will meet in the final.

McCreanor beat Liza Park (Deloraine) in five ends but it took Fordyce’s last rock coming home to defeat Patti Ulrich (St. Vital). Trailing 5-1 after four ends, Ulrich fought back and led 6-5 coming home. Facing four with three in the four foot, with her last rock Ulrich made a delicate angle hit to move two and sit second shot rock half buried. Fordyce threw a light weight hit to corner the Ulrich stone and remove it from the rings. The Brandon team scored four for a 9-6 win.

The finals are set for 5PM at the Brandon Curling Club.

(12PM: October 31) SEMI-FINALS SET AT CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BRANDON
The semi-finals are set in the Nature’s Bounty Manitoba Club Championships at the Brandon Curling Club.

On the Men’s side, Trevor Loreth (Granite) plays Travis Taylor (Brandon) and Andrew Irving (Fort Rouge) meets Dale Fust (LaSalle).

Corey Anderson (Charleswood), the only unbeaten team after the round robin, lost Sunday morning to the Dale Fust team. Trailing by four after four ends, the Randy Neufeld skipped team scored a single on the fifth. Neufeld threw a near perfect guard with his last on end six to set up a steal of three and then made an angle raise takeout on the seventh to set up another steal and lead 7-6 coming home. Anderson’s last rock hit for two did not curl up quite enough and he left the LaSalle team another steal and an 8-6 win.

Team Fust’s opponent, Andrew Irving, advanced with an extra end win over Graham McFarlane (Assiniboine Memorial).

Trevor Loreth and his team lost the final of this event two years ago in Melita. They continued the quest to return to the final by beating Brett MacDonald (Fort Rouge) while Travis Taylor (Brandon) eliminated Paul Scinocca (St. Vital) in their quarterfinal game this morning.

Three time champion Stacey Fordyce and her Brandon team and Deb McCreanor (LaSalle) both finished the round robin undefeated. Fordyce marked up her fifth win Saturday but McCreanor needed a Sunday morning win for #5. Fordyce plays Patti Ulrich (St. Vital) who qualified this morning with a win over Betty Buurma (Carberry).

Mc Creanor plays Liza Park (Deloraine) who lost this morning but advances based on the rpund robin win over Judy Colwell (East St. Paul) who also finished at 3W-2L.

Semi-finals in Brandon are at 1:30PM.