ARNOLD Asham of Wildewood needed a last-rock measure after twice giving up three-point leads, but he hung on to beat Heather's Ken Ringaert 6-5 at the Grain Exchange this afternoon to win both a berth to next month's Safeway Championship and the 120th MCA Bonspiel's Grand Aggregate title.
With 14 wins, Asham will claim the trophy awarded for most victories but it was a harrowing experience. His son Nathan, throwing fourth rocks versus Ringaert, was facing at least two Ringaert counters when he drew for a piece of the four-foot with his final shot.
The teams shook hands and it appeared Ringaert had won but a measure showed Asham scored one to win the game, the most coveted berth to Brandon, the Grand Aggregate and a spot in tonight's 7:45 p.m. Safeway-Lucerne final at Deer Lodge Curling Club.
The Granite's Bob Sigurdson defeated Brandon's Allan Lyburn 8-2 this afternoon to claim the other Brandon men's provincial championship berth and he'll take on Asham tonight in the Safeway-Lucerne final.
Brandon’s Willie Lyburn won the fifth and final Safeway Championship berth when he edged the Heather’s Ken Ringaert 4-3 in a playoff this afternoon. That means he’ll be joining his brother at the provincial championship in their home town next month.
Earlier today, Murray Woodward of Ste. Anne and David Bohn of Assiniboine Memorial both earned themselves spots in Brandon when Woodward crushed Asham 10-1 in one Free Press semifinal while Bohn got past Brandon's Willie Lyburn 5-2 in the other to advance to tonight's 7:45 p.m. Free Press final at the Fort Garry Curling Club.
Asham's loss to Woodward was his first of the world's largest bonspiel that began last Thursday night. Because Allan Lyburn already has a spot in the Brandon championship, his brother, Willie, is playing Ringaert in a playoff at 4 p.m. today at Fort Garry to determine the winner of the fifth and final Brandon berth to be awarded out of the MCA.
"The berth is more important," said Asham. "The berth is all we really come out for. The Grand Aggregate is nice but we want to go to Brandon. That was the game right there. That was important. I've been in provincials maybe 10, 12 times, I'm not sure what it is.
"I've been there lots of times. But this is real nice."
chris.carious@freepress.mb.ca
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