The London Curling Club was very well represented at the Ontario Curling Championships held in Dorchester last week. Several former Junior LCC curlers were on the ice competing and they certainly held their own against the best in the province.
Team Markle, representing LCC and with former juniors Julia Markle and Scotia Maltman, finished with a 1 and 3 record in their first attempt at the Scotties title.
Team Mulima, representing the Guelph Curling Club, included former LCC juniors Kyle Stratton and Owen Henry. They also finished with a 1 and 3 record.
Team Artichuk, also from Guelph, had former LCC junior Tori Zemmelink at lead. Their record was 2 and 3.
However, it was the London Curling Club team of Jayden King (former LCC junior), Dylan Niepage, Gavin Lydiate and Daniel del Conte that really surprised everyone with their amazing abilities. Lead by one of LCC’s dedicated coaches, Jennifer Cuddie, they managed to beat many of the top teams in the field including Greg Balsdon, Pat Ferris, Mark Kean and John Epping. The win against Epping got them into the final against Team Glenn Howard.
It was a very well-played game by both teams. With the score tied 4-4 after 6 ends, Scott Howard (playing without Glenn) managed to pick King’s shot rock off the button and stole one. King got one in the 8th and Howard took 2 in the 9th to go up by a score of 7-5 playing the 10th end. Jayden King made a fabulous cross-ring double to score 2 to tie the game which resulted in a loud cheer of approval from their fans. The extra end didn’t go as King wanted, and Howard had a fairly simple draw to win the game, which he did, to claim the Ontario title and a berth in the Brier.
It was a very long and grueling week for Team King, playing ten stress-filled 10-end games over 5 days. They will now set their sights on the University Championships that start this coming weekend.
Congratulations from all of us at LCC! You certainly made us, especially those who helped you along the way, very proud.
