2012 Canadian Masters Curling Championship
QUÉBEC LOSES AGAINST NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Boucherville - Quebec had a very thin leeway and only a bad end made the difference to put the Canadian Masters Championship out of reach. Team Newfoundland and Labrador, skipped by Toby McDonald, controled most of the final and won 10-4, due to a dramatic six points end, on the sixth end.
Until that moment, Team Quebec of skip Lawren Steventon, with Mike Carson, Jean-Marie Bouchard and Malcolm Baines was able to maintain the pace and at mid-game, had recuperated to make it a tie game at 4. But after blanking the 5th end, Newfoundland and Labrador demonstrated a lot of skills to take six points and go away with the win.
Toby McDonald and his teamates Wayne Hamilton, Lloyd Powell and Paul Aitken concluded the round-robin with a record of 6-2. After that, they defeated Saskatchewan in the semi-final before their decisive win in the final against Quebec. For the skip of Newfoundland and Labrador, Toby McDonald, it was the conclusion of a dream week. The night before, he had received the Martin Bailey sportsmanship award for his skills and behavior on and off the ice, after a vote of all players involved in the competition.
On the women’ side, Saskatchewan skipped by Merle Kopach concluded the week with a solid performance to win the final against the Ontario team of Joyce Potter by a score of 9-5. This game was also tight, at 5 after six ends, but Team Saskatchewan took four points on the 7th end to make it almost impossible to come back for Ontario. Due to the efforts and success of Merle Kopach and of her teamates Audrey Crossan, Linda Delver and Rae Wilson, Saskatchewan put his hand on the national title for the first time.
Finally, let’s mention that Manitoba men and Northern Ontario women won the bronze medals earlier on Sunday.
More than 300 persons attended the finals on Sunday afternoon, at the Boucherville curling club. This type of championship amongst the best Canadian curlers 60 years old and over was being held for the first time in the province of Quebec. With the hard work of a joint committee of Boucherville and St-Lambert curling clubs, and the cooperation of more than 150 volonteers, this championship was qualified as a great success by participants and spectators from everywhere in Canada.
