Vernon will have a second rink in the 2018 belairdirect BC Men’s Curling Championship, presented by Berwick Retirement Homes, Jan. 31-Feb. 4, in Parksville.
Veteran Mark Longworth stopped Glen Jackson of Victoria 9-6 in Saturday’s A final of the men’s playdowns in Abbotsford. Longworth finished 4-0 after icing Jeff Guiguard of New Westminster in the semis.
Longworth, who turns 64 in March, joins defending champion Jim Cotter of Vernon in the 12-team provincials. The winner moves to the Tim Hortons Brier, March 3-11, in Regina.
Cotter will have Catlin Schneider (Saskatchewan), Tyrel Griffith and Rick Sawatsky (Kelowna) in support. Regular skip John Morris of Calgary and Kaitlyn Lawes of Winnipeg will represent Canada in mixed doubles curling at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Morris and Lawes dispatched Val Sweeting (Edmonton) and Brad Gushue (St. John’s) 8-6 in the Canad Inns Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials final.
Longworth, meanwhile, will be going to his sixth straight B.C. playdowns alongside his son, Michael, 27. Rob Nobert and John Slattery run the front end. The foursome swiped a deuce in the eighth end and stole a single in nine against Jackson.
“We were playing pretty good going into the playdowns,” said Longworth, who began the week coaching Kim Slattery’s local rink at the B.C. Scotties in Victoria. “We felt we were one of the top teams (in 17-rink field). We don’t play a lot so it’s hard to get on a roll.”
Jackson, Grant Dezura of Maple Ridge and Wylie Eden of Lake Country took the other three provincial berths.
Surrounded by friends, family and loved ones, Kesa Van Osch and her Nanaimo rink captured the B.C. Scotties Women’s Curling Championship early Sunday night in Victoria.
Skip Van Osch and her sisters Marika and Kalia (third and second, respectively), lead Amy Gibson and coach Bill Tschirhart ambushed Karla Thompson of Kamloops 11-4 to claim the provincial title.
They advance to the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts at Penticton’s South Okanagan Events Centre, Jan. 27-Feb. 4.