Seems safe to say that World is doomed

Posted: 1:00 AM CST Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011

ST. ALBERT, Alta. -- Ben Hebert, the fun-loving lead for Kevin Martin's Olympic gold-medallist team, put it all into perspective when he walked off the ice at Servus Credit Union Place in St. Albert on Friday afternoon.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/01/2011 (5676 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. ALBERT, Alta. — Ben Hebert, the fun-loving lead for Kevin Martin’s Olympic gold-medallist team, put it all into perspective when he walked off the ice at Servus Credit Union Place in St. Albert on Friday afternoon.

Having teamed up with fellow Olympian and silver medallist Cheryl Bernard in mixed doubles, the two earned Team North America another six points in the World Financial Group Continental Cup of Curling, where the group is conquering Team World in an international Ryder Cup-like format.

“That was fun,” said Hebert, after a 6-3 victory over Andrea Schopp and Sebastian Kraupp that helped propel the North Americans into a comfortable 72-18 overall lead — that stretched out to 90-18 later that night — in the four-day event that ends Sunday night. “I had never played mixed doubles before.

MICHAEL BURNS / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jennifer Jones asks her front end to sweep harder during the morning draw on Friday. — MICHAEL BURNS / THE CANADIAN PRESS Jennifer Jones asks her front end to sweep harder during the morning draw on Friday.

“The skins games (on the weekend) is where all the big points are, so they don’t want the leads throwing hits on those ones, so they said, ‘Why don’t you go play some mixed doubles?’ I said, ‘I would love to, but I’m only playing with Cheryl or Jen (Jennifer Jones). I need a women’s skip,’ ” added Hebert, who is used to the Old Bear, Martin, calling the shots.

“I love Cheryl, she’s a great gal, an awesome curler and I got to curl with the hottest 40-year-old I know, so that was a good time,” Hebert added with a laugh. “I think we got a couple of ass slaps out there, too, so it was good entertainment.”

Unless, of course, you’re part of Team World, which managed a 9-4 victory out of David Murdoch and Carmen Schaefer as its only win of the entire day. The two downed Americans Pete Fenson and Erika Brown 9-4 or it would have been back-to-back skunks after the North American women overpowered their opponents in all three games in the morning draw.

“It’s a bit of a reverse from the last time we played (in Camrose in 2008), you know,” said Murdoch. “We’re down. We need a couple of wins (Friday) night and, of course, the big games are tomorrow.”

The onslaught, after Thursday’s 42-12 North American advantage, continued Friday, led by Canadians Bernard and Jones in women’s team play in the morning. Both Jones, the defending Scotties champion of Winnipeg, and Bernard, from Calgary, claimed their second team victories of the international event.

Jones recorded a four-ender in her first end against China’s Bingyu Wang on her way to an easy 10-3 win. Meanwhile, Bernard bounced Mirjam Ott of Switzerland 7-5. Brown added her first victory, 7-5 over Schopp of Germany, to make it a North American clean sweep.

A total of 260 of the available 400 points comes through skins play today and Sunday. But if a team can build up a healthy lead, as the World team did in 2008, it can go a long way.

— Postmedia News