Fowler, Strachan win seniors’ curling titles

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This article was published 02/03/2009 (6281 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MANITOBA’S venerable buffalo will go on the backs of another Westman team for the 2009 Canadian Senior Women’s Curling Championship later this month in Prince Edward Island following a big-time Battle of Brandon today.

Former provincial women’s champion Lois Fowler made a superb double-raise angle takeout to bump her own rock on to the button with her final shot to beat fellow Brandonite Linda Van Daele 6-5 at the Fort Garry Curling Club this afternoon.

In the Strathcona senior men’s final in Carman, Hamiota’s Brent Strachan, who was only seeded sixth, scored the deciding deuce in the ninth end and ran Carman’s No. 8 seed Bob Bartley out of rocks for a 6-4 win.

The Fowler and Strachan teams will represent Manitoba at the national men’s and women’s seniors championships March 22-29 in Summerside, P.E.I.

It’s Fowler’s first provincial senior women’s title in four tries and she now has the chance to win what would be only Manitoba’s second women’s senior national title after another Brandon great, Mabel Mitchell, did the trick in 1983.

“It was my fourth women’s senior provincial and we lost the final three years ago in my very first year in seniors so I really wanted it badly,” Fowler said after winning the event, sponsored by Mondetta.

“We had such a tremendous season, this team, this year. We won several bonspiels and this is such a great way to cap off the season, winning a Manitoba championship.”

Van Daele, a former provincial senior champ herself, battled back to make it difficult for Fowler in the 10th end, finding a pocket in the four-foot and delivering two beautiful shots to lie two, forcing Fowler’s angle raise attempt.

“She couldn’t have carried her rock down and placed it better,” Fowler said. “…Fortunately, that was lined up for us or I don’t know if I would have had a shot. I’m so happy.”

This makes it an even dozen provincial titles now between Lois, her husband Brian who was coaching her team at the seniors, daughter Rhonda Ritchie and son Rob, who plays second for Jeff Stoughton’s Calgary-bound Manitoba team at next week’s Brier.

“Oh, gosh,” she said. “We’re going to the Brier next week and now, my goodness, I’m going to P.E.I. We’re just going to go and focus on how we’ve been playing all season and I’ve been enough (nationals) that I think my experience will help the girls.

“It’s just going to be a good time and I know we’re going to try our darndest to try and bring that Canadian title home to Manitoba because Mabel Mitchell’s a very dear friend of mine and I’d love to repeat that performance of her’s.”
The men’s seniors final — between Hamiota’s Brent Strachan and Carman’s own Bob Bartley, in Carman — didn’t get under way until 5 p.m.

chris.cariou@freepress.mb.ca