31 October 2023
United States and Japan lead women’s field in Kelowna
After three sessions of round-robin play at the Pan Continental Curling Championships in Kelowna, United States women share top spot on the rankings with defending champions Japan.
The Americans had to go all the way to an extra end to beat Korea by 9-8 in their Monday afternoon game to get there. By contrast, Japan had a straightforward 9-1 six-end win over Mexico, while New Zealand and Canada were the other third session winners in the women’s field.
In the tight game between United States and Korea, the teams swapped scores of three in the ninth and tenth ends to tie the game at 8-8. In the extra end, American skip Tabitha Peterson had a draw to anywhere in the house to score one for the victory.
Japan’s win over Mexico was sealed with a score of three in the fifth and a steal of three in the sixth end when Mexico skip Adriana Camarena was heavy with her final draw.
Canada were behind early in their game against Australia but changed their fortunes in the fourth end with a score of three to take the lead at 4-3. They went on to win by 9-5.
In the game between New Zealand and Chinese Taipei, the Kiwis took the early advantage, scoring four in the fourth end for a 6-4 lead. A further score of three by New Zealand in the eighth end put the game beyond Chinese Taipei and the New Zealanders went on to record their first win, by 11-7.
Afterwards New Zealand skip Jessica Smith said, “It’s good to get a win on the board. That was a must-win game for us in terms of qualification for the worlds, so it was good to pull that one off.”
She continued, “We’re definitely determined. I think we can beat any of these teams if we just make our shots and play well as a team. After being at the worlds we’re stronger now. That was a big learning experience for us. So, it’s onwards and upwards.”
Men’s A-Division
In the men’s A-Division, Japan followed up a 9-2 win over Guyana with an 11-6 win over Australia in the third session to keep their unbeaten record intact. Japan now share top spot on the rankings with Korea, who had a 9-6 victory over Australia on Monday morning and followed that up with a 9-6 win over Chinese Taipei in the evening session.
Behind these two leaders sit Canada, New Zealand and United States, sharing the same won two, lost one record.
The Canadians beat United States by 7-5 after an extra end on Monday evening. This was their second win of the day, after their morning 8-2 victory over New Zealand.
After his evening win Canada skip Brad Gushue said, “That was a tough game. We had a great start but then had a few misses to let Korey [Dropkin] and his team get back into it, but it worked out in the end.”
Talking about the extra end, he added, “We played a nice last end there and had a relatively easy shot to win.
“There’s still some cleaning up for us to do to get to where we want to. We’re certainly not where we want to be yet, but that was a step forward,” he added.
Behind the five men’s teams battling at the top of the table, Australia, Chinese Taipei and Guyana have yet to win, putting their play-off hopes in jeopardy.
B-Division updates
After two sessions in the women’s B-Division, China and Jamaica remain unbeaten at the top of the table. China beat Brazil by 14-0 while Jamaica defeated Philippines by 13-1 on Monday afternoon.
In the other game in the second session, Hong Kong beat Kenya by 13-1, and that leaves Kenya and Philippines still looking for their first wins.
After three sessions in the men’s B-Division, China and Philippines share the lead, both unbeaten on three wins. China beat Mexico by 10-4 and Philippines were 12-5 winners over Hong Kong in Monday evening’s third session.
India and Saudi Arabia sit behind them on the rankings, on two wins and one loss. They are followed by Hong Kong and Mexico, who both have a won one, lost two record. At the foot of the table are Brazil and Kenya, still looking for their first wins.
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