Women’s field increases for Canada Cup of curling in Estevan, Sask.

Rachel Homan shoots a stone during the Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling: Humpty's Champions Cup in Calgary on April 28, 2018. (Anil Mungal)

ESTEVAN, Sask. — An extra women’s curling team has been added to the field for the Home Hardware Canada Cup in December.

Headlined by world champions Brad Gushue and Rachel Homan, as well as 2014 Olympic champion Jennifer Jones, the $140,000 event Dec. 5-9 in Estevan, Sask., will feature seven men’s teams and eight women’s teams.

They’re invited based on ranking and there was a virtual three-way tie for two women’s berths, according to Curling Canada’s release Wednesday.

Edmonton’s Laura Crocker, Calgary’s Chelsea Carey, Casey Scheidegger of Lethbridge, Alta., Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., and Winnipeg’s Darcy Robertson will be in the women’s field.

Scheidegger, Einarson and Robertson finished last season in a virtual tie in the qualifying standings for the final two direct-entry berths.

The six men’s teams qualified so far are Gushue from St. John’s, N.L., Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher, 2014 Olympic champion Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Calgary’s Kevin Koe, Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers and Toronto’s John Epping.

One more team of each gender will be added in mid-November from the top non-qualified teams in the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS).

The men’s and women’s Canada Cup winners secure berths in the 2021 Olympic pre-trials. They will also qualify for a World Curling Federation World Cup event in 2019-20.

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