Four teams unbeaten at Mixed

Four teams are unbeaten in the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship through Sunday evening at the Morris Curling Club. Host Manitoba, skipped by Terry McNamee of Hamiota, and New Brunswick, directed by Charlie Sullivan of Saint John, are tied at 3-0, while Nova Scotia (Paul Flemming of Halifax) and Prince Edward Island (Robert Campbell of Charlottetown) are both at 2-0 after four draws. Manitoba defeated Northwest Territories/Yukon, 11-6 in the Sunday evening draw after beating Ontario, 6-2 earlier in the day.   New Brunswick, though, kept pace, smashing Newfoundland/Labrador, 7-1 and Saskatchewan, 8-5. Nova Scotia, after an opening draw bye on Saturday, won both its games on Sunday, 7-3 over Newfoundland/Labrador and 8-5 over British Columbia.  Flemming, a two-time Canadian Mixed champion, having won in 1999 in Victoria and 2003 in Abbotsford, is seeking to join Saskatchewan’s Larry McGrath as the only skips to have won the Mixed on three occasions. Prince Edward Island won its only game on Sunday, 5-3 over Northern Ontario.  Campbell won the Mixed in 1989 in Brandon, the last time the Canadian championship was held in Manitoba. The weeklong competition continues with three draws daily, Monday through Thursday.   After the final draw of the round robin on Friday morning, the first place team advances directly to Saturday’s final, while the second and third place teams meet in a semi-final following any required tiebreakers. Alberta leads all provinces with nine Mixed titles since the championship began in 1964 in Toronto.  Manitoba has won eight Mixed crowns, the latest by Winnipeg’s Sean Grassie two years ago when The Mixed was staged in Iqaluit, Nunavut.