Spencer wins over Porritt

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/02/2009 (6311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a matter of a couple minutes this afternoon, Manitoba’s Kaitlyn Lawes became a two-time Canadian junior women’s curling champion and Barb Spencer became a three-time Manitoba women’s curling champion.

Playing in the Canadian junior women’s final in Salmon Arm, B.C., Lawes scored three in the final end to successfully defend her Canadian junior title and beat Ontario’s Rachel Homan 7-4.

And at almost exactly the same moment, Fort Rouge’s Barb Spencer scored four in the tenth end to defeat clubmate Karen Porritt 10-7 in a thrilling Manitoba women’s curling championship final in Neepawa.

Lawes and her foursome — third Jenna Loder, second Laryssa Grenkow and lead Breanne Meakin — will now represent Canada at the 2009 World Juniors in Vancouver, Mar. 5-15. Lawes settled for bronze at last year’s World Juniors in Sweden.

Meanwhile, Spencer and her foursome — third Darcy Robertson, second Brette Richards and lead Barb Enright — will travel to Victoria later this month where they will represent Manitoba at the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

It will be the the third trip to the national Scotties for Spencer, Robertson and Enright, but the first for Richards. The three also represented Manitoba at the womens nationals in 1986 and 2003, missing the playoffs both times.

“Wow, I’m in shock,” Spencer said. “It’s such an honour for us to play at the nationals again. We worked so hard this year.”