KITCHENER, Ont. — Crystal Webster avoided elimination at the 2013 Capital One Road to the Roar Olympic pre-trial curling tournament with an 8-5 win over Amber Holland on Thursday.
Webster’s Calgary rink took control from the start of the C-event game. She took a 4-2 lead in the fourth end when Holland’s soft tap-back attempt wrecked on a guard, leaving an open draw for two points.
A single in the ninth end was too little too late for Regina’s Holland, who was eliminated from competition after suffering her third loss.
“We knew we had to play better today,” said Webster, referring to the team’s two previous losses. “We played miles better than we have the two previous games. We loved the ice today, so that made us feel so much better.”
Webster credits third Cathy Overton-Clapham for bringing some much-needed experience to a team that has yet to compete at the international level.
“We thought, in an Olympic year, it would be great to bring that experience on to our team,” she said. “And we’re still learning from each other of course. We’ve tried to play as much as could leading up the Pre-Trials, but we are getting better, and I’m really enjoying having her experience next to me out there.”
Four other women’s teams were on the ice Thursday morning in the B-event.
Edmonton’s Val Sweeting traded ends with Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay, Ont., in a close game that was decided on last rock. Tied 7-7 heading into the tenth, Sweeting needed only a single for the 8-7 win.
In the only other B-event women’s game, Tracy Horgan of Sudbury, Ont., gave up a steal in the first end, then never looked back, forcing Calgary’s Shannon Kleibrink to chase her in a 10-7 victory.
Horgan applied pressure early on the 2006 Olympic bronze-medallist, scoring three in the third and following up with a steal of three. In the fifth, Horgan’s precision double resulted in a two more points and an 8-3 lead.
Kleibrink fought back with a steal of one in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough, and Horgan notched up another win.
In the only men’s game of the morning draw, Steve Laycock broke it open with three points in the final end to earn a 6-3 B-event win over Jake Higgs of Glencoe, Ont.
Kleibrink, McCarville and Higgs now move to the C-event of the triple-elimination tournament and will be ousted with one more loss.
The teams are fighting for the last four berths — two men and two women — at next month’s Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Canadian Curling Trials in Winnipeg.
