Both the men's and women's final at the Stroud Cash Spiel on Sunday in Innisfil did not disappoint, with both games being pushed to the eighth end.
Michael Fournier's rink, consisting of lead Graeme Robson, second Punit Sthankiya, and third Charlie Richard, clinched a 7-5 victory over Christopher Inglis, and Lauren Mann conceded to Chelsea Principi's rink featuring lead Kiera McLaughlin, second Brenda Chapman, and third Kristin Peskett in a game that finished 4-2.
Both games started with first end blanks, and they won nearly simultaneously, celebrating modestly. They later claimed their winning shares of a $12,800 purse.
The men's final was billed as youth versus experience, with the 24-year-old Inglis holding his own against the 53-year-old Fournier. However, early mistakes by the younger skip led to early scores by the veteran.
In the second, with Fournier’s shot rock guarded in the 12 foot, Inglis’s takeout attempt undercurls, allowing Fournier a draw for two. The Trent alum gets on the board with one in the third, but his final takeout had too much momentum, sliding out with a chance sit score two.
Inglis had a chance on his last of the fourth for a triple takeout and leave his as shot rock, but he only hit two, and spun out. Fournier’s subsequent draw gave him three more.
The one-time Quebec champion tried to blast a cluster at the top of the house in the fifth, but lost his own stones. Inglis, with a chance to score four, misses his freeze attempt long, and settles for three to get back in the game.
Down two in the seventh, Inglis made a freeze for one to stay in the game, and was in the driver's seat through the eighth.
On his first throw, Fournier pushed his guard into the house and loses the shooter. Inglis then takes a timeout and goes for a freeze to take out Fournier’s only stone. But, after a perfect shot to sit three, Fournier pulls off the exact same shot to score one and end it.
Fournier's team's next event will be the Henderson Metal Fall Classic in Sault Ste. Marie, competing with acclaimed skips like Niklas Edin, Joel Retornaz, and defending champion Matt Dunstone.
Inglis' rink consisting of lead Liam Little, second Grant Schnurr, and third Connor Massey, drew much praise for their tournament run against experienced competition with a blue-collar play style. His rink's playoff results featured defeats of Pat Ferris and Landan Rooney, each of the tournament's last two champions.
No team scored multiple points in an end in the women's final. Both teams alternated scores with hammer through the first four ends. Although, at the end of a fourth end when so many stones were clustered around the button, Mann had a chance to put up three, but left her final draw short and settled for two.
After a blank in the fifth, a Principi draw gave her a one-point lead. Then, in the seventh, Mann had another chance to make three, but took out her own stone to take one and tie it up heading to the eighth and final end.
In the final end, a takeout forces the Beamsville-native to work around Mann's two-stone lay up the middle. She pulls off a runback which forces Mann out and turns the table. The two-time Quebec champion, had no counter facing, and conceded the game.
Principi also beat Mann 8-5 in the round robin after entering the tournament 0-2 all-time against her. She will follow her title with an appearance at the North Grenville Women's Fall Classic October 30 alongside many other teams that played in Innisfil.
EARLIER SCORES
QUARTERFINALS
MEN
Inglis 8 Ferris 6
WOMEN
Middaugh 5 Rozon 4
SEMIFINALS
MEN
Inglis 6 Rooney 3
Fournier 6 Mulima 4
WOMEN
Principi 7 Middaugh 3
Mann 7 Markle 4
