A new season is officially underway for the Original 16 Cash League, and the first night of competition at the Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre saw some familiar names emerge victorious.
Leading the way were defending champion BTN Chartered Accountants (Danielle Sicinski) as they rolled to an 8-4 victory over newcomer Noyes (Cindy Simmons). Sicinski held a 4-3 lead through four ends before taking control of the game with three in the fifth end. The two teams exchanged points in the sixth and seventh and Simmons ran out of rocks in the eighth.
There were a handful of close games on the night, with KMS (Ben Gamble) taking a 7-6 extra end victory over John’s Music (Ryan Wenarchuk). Things started out well for Wenarchuk, as deuces in the second and fourth led to him building a 5-1 lead. Wenarchuk led 6-3 heading into the seventh when Gamble staged his rally, picking up a pair that end and stealing one to tie the game 6-6 and then stealing another in the extra end to secure the win.
Tax Team (Murray Stroeder) earned one of the more unique victories in their opener with Ackerman Ag (Patrick Ackerman), as they scored points in only two ends but still won 6-5. That’s because five of those points came in the third end and gave him a 5-0 lead. Ackerman chipped away at it, though, taking one in the fourth, stealing another in the fifth and two more in the sixth to close to within one. A blank in the seventh set things up for yet another steal in the eighth to tie the game 5-5. Stroeder was finally able to use the hammer to his advantage in the extra end, though, picking up his single point to take the victory.
Kal Tire (Bob Desjarlais) didn’t need an extra end in their 8-7 win over Matt Froehlich, but things were plenty close nonetheless. Desjarlais started out exceptionally well, with three in the first and two in the third giving him a 5-2 lead through three ends. Cue the comeback, as Froehlich would pick up points the next three: single markers in the fourth and fifth pulled him to within one at the fifth-end break before a three-spot put him ahead 7-5 through six. Desjarlais wouldn’t go quietly, though, scoring one in the seventh to pull within one and then stealing two in the final end for the victory.
Barb Wallace emerged victorious in a battle of single points against Easy Care Living (Lorraine Arguin), as she scored one in each of the first three ends to lead 3-0, Arguin took one in each of the next two to close to 3-2 and Wallace closed things out with singles in the sixth and seventh for a 5-2 win.
Walchuk Masonry (Ralph Courtnage) took the most commanding victory of the night with an 11-1 win over Forged 365 (Donna Ackerman). Courtnage led 3-1 through three ends but went on a steal tear from there with two in the fourth, three in the fifth and three more in the sixth to close out the contest.
Paws N Play (David Gray) wasted no time in his match with EMJ Marketing (Joe Gunnis), roaring out to an 8-0 lead after a deuce in the first end and three-spots the next two. Gunnis would get right back into it with four of his own in the fourth and a steal of one in the fifth, but would shake hands when Gray scored one in the sixth to restore his four-point lead and win 9-5.
Protec Video (Wade Gray) also got off to a fast start against Main Street Strength and Conditioning (Jazmin Ackerman), scoring four in the first and three in the second for a quick 7-0 lead. After Ackerman got two back in the third, Gray scored single points in three straight ends to make it 10-2 before Ackerman scored the final points of the game in the seventh to make the final scored 10-4.
Original 16 Cash League action continues every Wednesday night at the Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre.
