enNov 21, 2019

Glenn Howard’s team won back-to-back titles in Halifax on the World Curling Tour. (Photo, Curling Canada/Michael Burns)

Glenn Howard’s team won back-to-back titles in Halifax on the World Curling Tour. (Photo, Curling Canada/Michael Burns)

Not that long ago, it wasn’t too uncommon for Team Glenn Howard to win an event in back-to-back seasons. It happened this weekend, but not in the way that we were used to for so long. 

Team Howard, skipped by Glenn Howard (with Scott Howard, David Mathers, and Tim March) won the title at the Stu Sells 1824 Halifax Classic, beating local favourite Jamie Murphy. The win earned Howard $11,000 and 38.303 valuable points on the World Curling Tour and Canadian Team Ranking System lists.

What makes this win interesting was that Team Howard also won the Halifax event last year, but without Glenn. While Glenn Howard was away coaching Scotland’s Eve Muirhead at the European Championships in Estonia, his son Scott skipped the squad to a win over Brad Gushue in the final. 

This year’s win moves Team Howard into the No. 12 spot on the World Curling Tour list, which is hovering near the “bubble” for upcoming Grand Slam of Curling events. Many of the Grand Slams only invite the top 12, while some are 15 teams. Either way, the points make Howard’s situation slightly more comfortable.

Murphy earned 28.089 points and $5,500 for his runner-up finish. The semifinalists Cameron Bryce and Bruce Mouat (both from Scotland) earned $3,500 and 21.705 points.

Elsewhere, the Red Deer Curling Classic was underway in Alberta. Four Canadian teams qualified for playoffs with Chelsea Carey (Calgary), Corryn Brown (Kamloops, B.C.), Kelsey Rocque (Edmonton), and Brette Richards (Kelowna, B.C.) all reaching the quarters, but unfortunately had to play each other. 

Brown defeated Carey to reach the semis, while Richards beat Rocque. Richards went on to beat Japan’s Tori Koana and met USA’s Jamie Sinclair (who had defeated Brown) in the final.

Although Brette Richards, Blaine DeJager, Steph Jackson-Baier, and Rachelle Kallechy were tied with the hammer playing the eighth end, Sinclair was able to steal two and the game for a grand prize of $10,000 and 48.536 points. 

Richards earned $7,000 and 35.593 points for the runner-up finish.

On the men’s side, Edmonton’s James Pahl (with Glen Kennedy, Roland Robertson, and Craig MacAlpine) defeated Tyler Tardi (Surrey, B.C.) in the final. Pahl earned $10,000 and 38.869 points, while Tardi took home $7,000 and 28.504 points.

And finally, in Portage la Prairie, Man., the third Canad Inns event of the year, the Mixed Doubles Championship, was won by Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing. Jones and Laing defeated Russian duo Anastasia Moskaleva and Alexander Eramin in the final to take home the top prize.