ON THE ROCKS
Port rink wins over Leaside in Regional play
by Bruce Rogers/Special to The Scugog Standard

Port Perry’s Ann Pearson entry began the Regional hunt against Cheryl Saunders of Lindsay. Liz Winters skipped her Whitby entry against Lakefield’s Helen O’Donnell team, while Jan Carwardine’s Leaside ladies took on Oakville’s Joanne Mikola and the host club’s Vicki Marianchuk and her so-called ‘Dixie Chicks’ faced York’s JoAnn Inouye. In the end, after a lot of fine curling, Port Perry’s Pearson, with Carol Jackson at vice, Marilyn Plekatis, second, and Laura Davis-Cook, lead, had bested Leaside’s Carwardine team to win the ‘A’-side final. In the ‘B’ final, York’s Inouye rink defeated Lindsay’s Cheryl Saunders.

Port Perry’s Senior Men in the heart of Dixie
Don Beaton’s rink of Mark Howsam, Ken Jeffrey and Willie Beaton met Jim O’Marra’s Peterborough squad in the OCA’s Region Two Senior Men’s opener last Saturday at the Dixie Curling Club. The Port Perry team had made it through crowded double knockout zones at Whitby in December. Strong teams knocked out of Zone Six contention included Uxbridge’s Gary Grant, Port’s second zone entry skipped by Wilf Rapp, Whitby’s Winters, Birchard and Cushnie rinks plus Oshawa’s Jim Thedorf.
_At the Regionals, other strong contenders were Leaside’s Rob Harding, Guy Racette of Royals, John Bell’s Unionville team, Dave Nigh of Lindsay and two powerhouse rinks from Oakville and Scarborough skipped respectively by Bob Edmondson and Bob Turcotte. A loss to Racette, and Beaton was bumped to ‘B’-side to challenge Oakville’s Edmondson. They made a game of it but lost 6-4. On the ‘A’-side, Racette of Royals defeated Scarborough’s Turcotte and goes to the Provincial playoffs at Simcoe Feb. 22. But the Scarborough men would not be denied. Turcotte won the ‘B’ final and will play at Simcoe.

Marlin curlers vie in vacation ’spiel on ice
Linda Perry’s foursome with Joyce Saunders and two Uxbridge visitors, Denise Naninga and Paula Jesty, scored more than 37 points, the Marlin’s highest total. Southern sun may claim some snowbirds but at Port Perry Curling Club the fun sponsored by Marlin Travel made for a warm Greek holiday environment on an otherwise wintry day. Draw master Paul Coveart reported that Louise Haugen’s rink of Gerri Oliver, Ann Lightfoot and Bev Madill was second. Pat Mark’s team, Sonja Mowat, Linda Moore and Lynda Elliot, was third. Fourth were Sue Duncan, Linda Danaher, Anne Whitters and Diane Burke and, in fifth place, the team with the highest single game score, Chris Acton’s, Barb Davidson, Betty Cowan and Wilma Oosterholt.

Uxspiel Mixed this Saturday
The format has changed but lunch, dinner and two draws of two eight-end games guarantee a fun Saturday at the Uxbridge Curling Club.
_Folks from York’s Daytime league visited for a rematch of their November ’spiel in Newmarket. Eight teams, four from each club, played two six end games with a roast beef dinner between. This time Uxbridge prevailed. The winning team was Rob Holden, Murray Snell, Donna Powers and Bernice Montgomery. On the best Newmarket team were Shirley Charles, Steve Sinclair, Bill Morris and Barb Dennis.

Little Rock fist pumps at annual bonspiel
Port Perry’s annual Little Rock Bonspiel has attracted rinks from Uxbridge, Annandale (three), Whitby (two) and Port Perry (two). Mary Holt and her helpers will put young curlers through their paces this Saturday using four sets of new little rocks courtesy of Tim Hortons. The single draw day, likely to be well attended by high-fiving parents and grandparents, starts at 10 a.m., with the second game set for 1 p.m.