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NEWS RELEASE
Martin and McEwen Through to the Quarterfinals at the Grey Power Players’ Championship Women’s quarterfinal field set; Cheryl Bernard clinches direct Canadian Trials berth
Martin remained in the hunt for his sixth career Players’ Championship title with an 8-1 victory over Dale Matchett (Churchill, Ont.) while McEwen reached the final eight with an 8-2 win over Wayne Middaugh (Midland, Ont.).
The women’s quarterfinals are set for this evening at 8:30 p.m. MT. The playoff match-ups feature Shannon Kleibrink (Calgary, Alta.) vs. Rachel Homan (Ottawa, Ont.), Kelly Scott (Kelowna, B.C.) vs. Krista McCarville (Thunder Bay, Ont.), Cheryl Bernard (Calgary, Alta.) vs. Heather Rankin (Calgary, Alta.) and Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg, Man.) vs. Sherry Middaugh (Coldwater, Ont.).
Rebounding from a 6-5 defeat to Ferbey in the
“A” bracket final on Thursday evening, Martin
needed only five ends to slide past Matchett. Leading 1-0 in the first end, Martin increased his lead to 4-0 in the second frame after Matchett’s draw to the four-foot came up short.
Another steal for one point in the fourth end gave Martin a commanding 5-0 lead.
“We needed that,” said Martin, referring to his seven-point win. “To be able to get another night of sleep, and get some rest, and then come out and see if we can figure out our game again. And that was better.”
McEwen’s win over Middaugh was his third straight following an open round loss to Kevin Koe (Edmonton, Alta.).
“We were saying before this game that we were actually on life support and that we’re lucky we’re even in the event,” said McEwen. “We stole two games in a row so it was nice to finally play a really good game. Hopefully, that will lead to something a little better in the playoffs because we were certainly struggling quite a bit.”
Leading 2-1 through three ends, McEwen seized control of the game in the fourth frame after making an open draw for three points.
Despite their losses this evening, both Matchett and Middaugh can still reach the quarterfinals of the Grey Power Players’ Championship by winning their respective “C” bracket matches.
Lawton’s defeat also changes the landscape of the women’s Capital One Cup standings. As the leader of the Capital One Cup standings heading into the final event of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, Lawton will be hard pressed to remain in the running for the $85,000 (CDN) bonus money awarded to the top three finishers after failing to reach the quarterfinals this week. An overview of the women’s Capital One Cup standings can be found by clicking here.
Featuring a total purse of $170,000, the Capital One Cup is a points-based competition that awards each curling team a point value based on their performance during each 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event. Following the conclusion of the Grey Power Players’ Championship, the top men’s and women’s teams in the Capital One Cup standings will each receive a $50,000 (CDN) bonus. The second and third place men’s and women’s squads will each receive $25,000 (CDN) and $10,000 (CDN) respectively.
For a complete overview of this evening’s results, click here.
For a complete overview of the men’s tournament bracket for the Grey Power Players’ Championship, click here.
As the official television broadcaster of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling, CBC Television will air the women’s final on Saturday, April 18 at 1:00 p.m. MT and the men’s final on Sunday, April 19 at 10:00 a.m. MT. Additionally, on Saturday, April 18, CBC’s digital channel bold will present live coverage of the men’s quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. MT and live coverage of the men’s semi-finals at 8:00 p.m. MT.
The men’s and women’s draw of the Grey Power Players’ Championship features a total purse of $100,000. Each tournament’s winning team will receive $25,000.
Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is a series of eight premier men’s and women’s events that boast Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields.
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is one of a select few events that are tied to the Canadian Curling Association's qualifying process for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Through their performance in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events, rinks can earn points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Trials or the 2009 Canadian Pre-Trials event.
About Grey Power Grey Power is the industry leader in providing auto and home insurance to mature Canadians. Grey Power recognizes it takes years of skill and experience to achieve a good driving record and rewards that experience with substantial savings through the Experience Advantage™. With Grey Power, Canadians not only save on their insurance but also get superior service and expert advice. Grey Power products are provided by Trafalgar Insurance Company of Canada, which is part of ING Canada, the country's largest provider of automobile, home and commercial insurance.
About Capital One Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard® credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard® in Canada. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).
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