Canadian teams will both play for gold at 2025 World Senior Championships

Twelve years ago, it was a Canadian sweep of gold medals at the 2013 World Senior Curling Championships in Fredericton, N.B.

Saturday in the same city at 9 a.m. Eastern, Team Atina Ford Johnston and Team Randy Bryden will look to replicate that accomplishment when they both play Scottish teams in the women’s and men’s final respectively of the 2025 World Senior Championships.

Back in 2013, it was two teams from Alberta — Team Cathy King of Edmonton and Team Rob Armitage of Red Deer — that swept to gold.

This time around it’ll be up to one from Alberta — Team Ford Johnston represents clubs in Okotoks, Calgary and Sherwood Park — and one from Saskatchewan — Team Bryden hails from Regina — to attempt to give Canada its 10th gold-medal sweep in the 22-year history of the World Seniors.

Both won semifinals Friday night at Willie O’Ree Place to land them in the gold-medal games.

In women’s play, Ford Johnston, vice-skip Shannon Morris, second Sheri Pickering, lead Cori Morris and alternate/coach Lesley McEwan cruised to a 9-4 win over Ireland’s Team Dale Sinclair.

Canada opened with three in the first end and stole four in the second and never looked back.

“That’s crazy; who would have thunk when we got here that we’d be here,” marvelled Ford Johnston, whose team was a 9-5 winner over Team Margie Smith of the United States in the quarterfinal earlier Friday. “I mean, you always dream of being in this position but you just never know because there are such great teams here and you know you have to figure out the ice and figure out the rocks and all there’s a lot that goes into it.  I’ve always said that to be a champion you need your fair share of luck, so we’ve had a little bit of luck, too, and we’ll take it.”

In the gold-medal game, Team Canada will take on Team Jackie Lockhart of Scotland, who, like Canada, has yet to lose in seven games in Fredericton.

Lockhart and Scottish lead Katie Loudon both played for Great Britain at the 1998 Winter Olympics, where Ford Johnston won gold as the alternate for Team Sandra Schmirler. As well, Scottish second Claire Milne played for Scotland at the 1991 World Juniors, when Ford Johnston skipped Canada to a bronze medal.

“We’ve played pretty well to this point,” said Ford Johnston. “You just have to step it up a notch for tomorrow’s game.”

Meanwhile, Team Bryden extended Canada’s streak of reaching every men’s gold-medal game in the history of the World Seniors with a 6-3 win over Finland’s Team Tomi Rantamaki.

Bryden, backed up by vice-skip Troy Robinson, second Russ Bryden, lead Chris Semenchuck and alternate Glen Hill, broke open a tight game with a hit for two in the fifth end, and the team clamped down defensively the rest of the way to prevent Finland from putting anything but ones on the board.

“They (Finnish players) just told us that’s their first loss of the year,” said Bryden. “We’ve been playing well all week, but we didn’t have the challenge like we did today. We just made some good shots at the right time.”

Earlier Friday, the Canadian men were 6-5 winners over Team Andy Kapp of Germany in the quarterfinal.

Saturday, Canada, winners of eight straight in Fredericton, will play Team Tom Brewster of Scotland for the gold, and look to give Canada its sixth straight World Senior Men’s crown.

“I love the game of curling,” said Bryden. “I’ve played it since I’ve been a kid, and yes, absolutely, my dream has always been to play in a final of a championship. It used to be the Brier, and then when I hit 50, it became the Senior Worlds,  It’s coming true that we’re gonna play (for gold) tomorrow.”

The World Senior Championships started in 2002, and since then, Canada has won 15 women’s gold medals and 14 men’s gold medals. The next highest total in each gender is three — Scotland in women’s play and the United States in men’s play.

There is no streaming coverage planned for the World Senior Championships. For the latest scores, draw and list of teams, CLICK HERE.

The French version of this story will be posted as soon as possible at www.curling.ca/?lang=fr.