Game means something

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Team Canada skip Jennifer Joneshas momentum on her side heading into today's much-anticipated matchup against Manitoba skip Cathy Overton-Clapham, at the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Charlottetown, P.E.I. (PHOTOS BY FRANK GUNN / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Viewer's Guide

What: Manitoba's Cathy Overton-Clapham vs. Canada's Jennifer Jones

When: Today, 5:30 p.m. CT, TSN

Where: Draw 14, 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Charlottetown Civic Centre

Why is everyone so interested? This will be the first time Overton-Clapham has faced Jones since Jones fired her last spring as her third on the three-time defending Canadian champion. It is highly unusual to fire a player on a team in the midst of a historic run of consecutive championships and Overton-Clapham complained at the time that she felt she'd been shafted by Jones, deprived of her share of the team's winnings and left hanging out to dry by the late timing of Jones's decision. Jones responded that she felt the team had become stale and she wanted to inject some youth into the lineup as she looked ahead to attempting to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The issue has simmered ever since, culminating in a feeding frenzy for the media here.

How do they match up? They don't really. Jones was the best team on the women's cash circuit this winter and comes into today with a 5-2 record after a pair of dominating wins Tuesday -- 10-2 over B.C. and 10-4 over Newfoundland -- that has her looking every bit like a team that will challenge this weekend for a record-tying fourth straight Canadian women's title. What's more, the four Canada players are presently dominating the shooting percentages, with lead Dawn Askin, second Jill Officer, third Kaitlyn Lawes and Jones all statistically tops in the field at their respective positions and overall as a team. Overton-Clapham, on the other hand, comes into the game off a decent cashspiel season but a disastrous week here. The team is just 1-6, already eliminated from the playoffs and come into today last in shooting percentage at lead (Raunora Westcott), second last at second (Leslie Wilson) and third (Karen Fallis) and near the bottom at skip.

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Manitoba skip Cathy Overton-Clapham delivers a rock against Nova Scotia during the morning draw Tuesday. (FRANK GUNN / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

CHARLOTTETOWN -- Everyone wanted this game to mean something.

And it's going to mean something when Team Manitoba's Cathy Overton-Clapham plays Team Canada's Jennifer Jones here at the Canadian women's curling championship tonight (TSN, 5:30 p.m.) -- just not in the way everyone expected.

No one expected -- not the fans, not the media and certainly not the players involved -- that Overton-Clapham would head into tonight's long-anticipated grudge match with her former skip having already been eliminated from the playoffs.

The five-time Canadian champion, who staged a thrilling upset to win the Manitoba women's title last month, was widely expected to be a playoff contender here this week as she headed into the first head-to-head matchup with Jones since the latter fired Overton-Clapham as her third last spring.

But what is even more shocking is that Overton-Clapham finds herself in such dire straits here tonight that her contest with Jones has a meaning for her team that has nothing to do with making the playoffs here and everything to do with not making Manitoba curling history of the most unenviable kind.

With a 1-6 record heading into today, Overton-Clapham is seriously flirting with setting a record for futility by a Manitoba team at this event.

Until now, that record has belonged to Barb Spencer, who went 2-9 at the 2009 Scotties to go down as the worst team Manitoba has ever sent to the Canadian women's curling championship.

The notion that the winningest curler in the history of Manitoba suddenly finds herself in jeopardy of also becoming the skip of the worst women's team Manitoba ever sent to the national stage was inconceivable less than a week ago.

And yet such is the sorry fate that has befallen Overton-Clapham and Manitoba here this week with another two losses on Tuesday -- 8-7 to Nova Scotia's Heather Smith-Dacey on the morning draw and 6-5 to Alberta's Shannon Kleibrink last night to officially find herself eliminated from playoff contention.

Put it altogether and the best Overton-Clapham can hope for against Jones tonight is to save a little face and maybe play a little spoiler.

"I don't want come here to win one game or two games," Overton-Clapham said last night. "We came here to make the playoffs and that's not going to happen. So we want to finish off on a strong note for sure.

"It will be exciting. The place will be packed. It will be fun to be part of."

Indeed, the game has attracted huge local interest. Although P.E.I. is not playing on tonight's draw, the CCA reported Tuesday night there were just a handful of tickets remaining.

Overton-Clapham did insert fifth Breanne Meakin at third against Nova Scotia yesterday, but then took her back out against Alberta last night. It's unclear what her lineup will be today.

While Jones is widely regarded as wearing the black hat in this affair, she said yesterday she has never yet heard or read a negative word about her handling of the Overton-Clapham affair.

"It's amazing the support we've received. We've gotten so many emails, people texting and phoning us, it's been incredible the support we've gotten.

"I have not had one person come up to me and say anything negative, outside of the media."

While her opponent tonight will limp into the game, Jones said she has no illusions about the challenge she will face against Manitoba.

"They're a great team and I expect them to really play well against us. I hope we can go out there and both teams have some fun. I'm assuming TSN will be showing the game. I just want it to be a good show for Canada and show everyone what curling is all about."

At least one neutral observer expressed sympathy with Overton-Clapham heading into tonight, noting her Manitoba teammates have not been equal to the task at hand here this week.

"To be frank, I think it's a bit of an unfair battle," Alberta third Amy Nixon said last night

"I don't think Cathy O has the horses she needs. She was unreal against us. She kept them in it the whole game."

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 23, 2011 D1