The calendar might have turned over into a new year, but things remained the same at the top of the Original 16 Cash League standings in action Wednesday night at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre.
All five of the league’s leading teams came away with victories on the first night of play in 2023, including the undefeated BTN Chartered Accountants and KMS Construction foursomes.
For Penny Barker and her BTN Accountants rink, that meant improving to 11-0 on the season thanks to a 7-2 victory over RK Sunview Farms (Dayne Heisler, 0-12). Things were close in the early going despite the disparity in wins and losses between the two teams, as Barker picked up three in the first end, but saw Heisler reply with singles the next two frames. The defending Scotties provincial champion took over from there, though, scoring one in the fourth, stealing a pair in the fifth and another in the sixth for the five-point win.
Ben Gamble and KMS moved their record to 8-0 but found themselves in a back-and-forth barnburner against Fountain Tire (Barry Silk, 4-8) to do so. Silk took a 4-2 lead thanks to a three-ender in the third, but Gamble got all those points back the very next end. A deuce in the fifth end sent Silk into the break leading 6-5, but Gamble would score three in the seventh and steal another two in the eighth for the 10-6 win.
Matt Froehlich (8-4) also needed a late-game comeback to find the win column against Rod Montgomery (5-7). Deuces in the first and third ends gave Montgomery an early 4-2 lead, but Froehlich would go on a steal spree from the fifth end on, scoring single points in four straight ends to take the 6-4 win.
A fast start proved key for Protec Studios (Tyler Krupski, 7-4) in their victory over EMJ Marketing (Joe Gunnis, 3-9). Krupski scored three in the first end and led 4-1 through three before Gunnis picked up a single in the fourth to get back within a pair. The two teams exchanged three-enders the next two frames before Krupski put up another three-spot in the seventh, bringing the contest to an early end with a 10-5 win.
Pro-Tec Electric (Stan Barnsley, 6-5) maintained their position in the top five thanks to an 8-2 win over John’s Music (Ryan Wenarchuk, 5-7). Things were tied 2-2 through three ends, but Krupski began to pull away with a deuce in the fourth. A steal of three in the fifth made it a 7-2 lead, and another steal of one the next end led to the teams shaking hands.
The game between KalTire (Dustin Woloschuk, 5-7) and Pups Parlour (Jaedon Miller, 6-5) was postponed.
Original 16 Cash League action takes place every Wednesday night at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre.
