Armstrong rink wins RR Mixed Bonspiel

Ken Johnston

It was a day of barn burners at the annual Rainy River Mixed Curling Bonspiel as two of the three finals went into extra ends.
In the ‘A’ event Craig Armstrong of Stratton met up with Tim Nordin of Rainy River only after he won a semi-final in an extra end against Jim Hall of Rainy River. As if that was not enough Armstrong missed a key takeout in the 8th end against Nordin to allow him to steal two and force an extra end in the final.
The game was pretty much even until the sixth end. Armstrong picked up two in the first and Nordin tied it in the second. Nordin took a two point lead in the third but Armstrong picked up one in the fourth to make it 4-3 for Nordin. In the fifth Nordin made a double take out and blanked the end.
Then in the sixth, in what appeared to be the turning point in the game, Nordin missed a draw for one, ticked off a rock in the front and bumped another one of Armstrong’s in to give him a five ender. The fans were in disbelief as were the members of Armstrong’s rink. “I can’t believe he gave us five,” said Third Sandy Shrumm.
But Nordin was not ready to roll over and play dead. In the seventh he had a chance to pick up five through a multi-rock takeout but only managed to get two. That made the game 8-6 for Armstrong and gave him the hammer coming home.
Nordin made a hit and stick to lie two and all Armstrong had to do was take that rock out, which was wide open. But wide was what Armstrong threw.
In an extra end Nordin tried a very difficult shot off a rock on the 12’ with his last rock to try and take Armstrong’s shot rock out. While he was close it was not enough and Armstrong won 9-8.
In the ‘B’ event Fred Foulger’s rink did battle with Davy Armstrong, both of Rainy River. It was close the entire game with Armstrong drawing first blood with one. Foulger took two in the second end but Armstrong tied it with one in the third. They each took one in the fourth and fifth to have it tied again at 3-3. In the sixth Foulger scored two. Armstrong scored one in the 7th and was lying one in the 8th when Foulger, who had not missed a shot all game did just that to tie the game at 5-5 and send it to an extra end.
However, Foulger was determined in the 9th and used the hammer effectively taking the Armstrong shot rock out and won 6-5.
In the ‘C’ event Peter Grant of Winnipeg beat up on Bert Seguin of Pinewood. He scored three in the first, two in the third, one in each of the third, fourth and sixth ends. After the fourth he was ahead 5-1. However, Seguin’s rink would not relent. The scored one in the second and two in the fifth to come within three. But another two for Grant in the seventh ended the game with Seguin resigning with a score of 9-3.
Twenty-four rinks competed in the event this year.