O’Rourke and Campbell win all-PEI Rodd Classic Finals

Nov. 7-The Kathy O’Rourke rink fought back from a 4-0 deficit to edge  the Suzanne Birt foursome 6-5 in the women’s final of the 9th annual Rodd Curling Classic cashspiel, which wrapped up this afternoon at the Charlottetown Curling Club.  The men’s final also featured two PEI teams, and was also won by a 6-5 score, but went an extra end, with the Robert Campbell team beating the Peter Gallant rink by a measure.

In the men’s final, the Gallant squad had last rock advantage in the extra, with Brett Gallant, who throws fourth rocks on the rink, with his father Peter playing third and calling the game, drawing against two Campbell counters, one at the top eight foot, and one behind it at the back of the eight. The Gallant rock went a little too far, and one of the Campbell stones won the measurement as shot rock. The Gallant team trailed 4-2 after five ends, but took the lead in the sixth, when Brett made a double runback to score three. Campbell blanked the seventh, and took a single in the eighth end to force the extra. Other members of the winning Robert Campbell rink are  third Jamie Newson, second Tyler MacKenzie, and lead Rob Doherty. Rounding out the Gallant foursome are second stone Anson Carmody, and lead Jeff Wilson.

Photo (L-R): Rob Doherty, Tyler MacKenzie, Jamie Newson, Robert Campbell

In semi-final play on Sunday morning, the Campbell team took three points in the final end to edge the Chad Stevens foursome from Nova Scotia 7-6, while Gallant eliminated defending champion Shawn Adams of Halifax with a 7-2 victory.

The Suzanne Birt rink took control early in the women’s final, taking a single in the first end, and stealing a deuce and another single to lead 4-0 after three.  The Kathy O’Rourke team, with Erin Carmody throwing fourth stones, Geri-Lynn Ramsay at third, O’Rourke calling the game and playing second, and Tricia Affleck in the lead position,  with coach Pat Aylward, took a single in the fourth, and stole a deuce in the fifth when a Birt rock rolled to0 far.  The teams traded singles in six and seven, with Birt leading 5-4 coming home, with last rock advantage.  With her final stone, Birt was facing two opposing rocks in the house, with the shot rock partially guarded, but skimmed the guard rock on the way by, rolling her rock out of play, and giving up a steal of two. Other members of Team Birt are third Shelly Bradley, second Robyn MacPhee, and lead Leslie MacDougall.

Photo (L-R): Pat Aylward (coach), Kathy O’Rourke, Erin Carmody, Geri-Lynn Ramsay, Tricia Affleck

In the women’s semi-finals, O’Rourke doubled Jennifer Crouse of Halifax 6-3, while Birt beat defending champion Andrea Kelly of New Brunswick, also by a 6-3 score. O’Rourke beat Birt 5-1 in their opening draw roundrobin encounter.

The winning Campbell and O’Rourke teams went home with cheques for $5000 and $3100 respectively, while the runner-up Gallant team took home $3500, with the Birt rink pocketing $2100. The Stevens and Adams teams took $2500 each back to Nova Scotia, with Crouse and Kelly going home with $1250. Charlottetown’s John Likely rink, who lost 5-4 to the Stevens team  in the quarter-finals, along with the Danny Christianson team from CFB Halifax, who lost their quarter-final 4-2 to the Gallant team, each received $1600. The women’s rinks also received a $40 payout per round robin win.

Eighteen men’s and twelve women’s teams began play on Thursday in this annual event.