The past week of curling included another event on the Curling Champions Tour (CCT) in Switzerland as well as World Curling Tour events in Vernon, Edmonton and New Glasgow, NS.

 

Men’s Tour

Swiss Cup Basel from Basel, Switzerland (Oct 2-4) 

Curling Champions Tour

Purse: $53, 620

To say Newfoundland and Labrador’s Brad Gushue is having a solid start to his 2015-16 curling season would be an understatement. The foursome of skip Gushue, third Mark Nichols, second Brett Gallant and lead Geoff Walker won another event this past weekend, capturing the Swiss Cup Basel in Switzerland on the Curling Champions Tour. Gushue lost his first game of the tournament, but then rallied off eight straight victories on his way to his third title of the season.

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The St. John’s rink beat Denmark’s Rasmus Stjerne, 5-2, in the quarters, routed young gun Kyle Smith of Scotland, 8-2, in the semifinals and topped Jaap van Dorp of the Netherlands in the championship game, 7-2. The hot start feels a lot like the one Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen had a year ago.

The 32-rink field featured rinks mostly from Europe with Gushue and Prince Edward Island’s Adam Casey being the only rinks from Canada to make the trip. Team Casey posted a record of 2-3 and failed to make the playoffs. The young skipper, who played on Gushue’s team from 2011 to 2014, was shut out by his former boss, 7-0, in the round robin.

Home country favourite Sven Michel lost in the quarters to van Dorp while reigning world champion Thomas Ulsrud of Norway (4-3) and defending champion Tom Brewster (1-3) of Scotland failed to qualify for the playoff round.

Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic from Vernon, BC (Oct 2-5)

Purse: $17, 000

Pat Simmons and the Brier Boys are back and winning curling events. The defending Canadian champions played their first event of the season and won it all, beating Victoria’s Dean Joanisse in the final of the Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic, 6-1. It wasn’t an easy route for Team Simmons as the foursome lost its first two games in the triple knockout tournament and was forced to run the table to capture the title. They did just that, winning their next five in convincing fashion.

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This Calgary team of skip Simmons, third John Morris, second Carter Rycroft and lead Nolan Thiessen are most definitely resilient. Last year, after struggling mightily to begin the season and a slow start at the Brier, the rink decided to bump Morris down to third and move Simmons up to skip stones. They never looked back, beating Brad Jacobs in the finals and will once again represent Team Canada at the 2016 Brier in Ottawa.

The small 12-rink field included the likes of Jim Cotter, Morris’ former team, who fell to Joanisse in the semifinals. Defending champion Grant Dezura did not play in Vernon.

Avonair Cash Spiel from Edmonton, AB (Oct 2-4) 

Purse: $10, 800

Korea’s Soo-Hyuk Kim defended his title at the Avonair Cash Spiel in Edmonton for his second win of the season. The 30-year-old went a perfect 6-0 over the weekend and edged Calgary’s Robert Collins in the finals, 5-4. The 20-rink field featured teams mostly from Alberta.

Sobeys Classic from New Glasgow, NS (Oct 1-4) 

Purse: $11, 200

Halifax’s Jamie Murphy beat Shawn Adams, also of Halifax, in the final of the first ever Sobeys Classic, 5-4. Adams, who has Craig Savill, the former lead to Glenn Howard, playing on his team this season, went 6-2 over the weekend. The 12-team field featured teams exclusively from the Maritime Provinces.

 

Women’s Tour

Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic from Vernon, BC (Oct 1-4) 

Purse: $39, 000

Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton won her first event since 2012, beating Calgary’s Chelsea Carey, 5-4, in the final. The 35-year-old Lawton scored a two-ender in the eighth to win the championship. Lawton, who replaced long-time vice Sherry Anderson over the summer with 25-year-old Trish Paulsen, lost the first game of the tournament to Shannon Kleibrink, then rattled off seven consecutive victories.    

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She beat American Jamie Sinclair in the quarterfinals, 5-2, Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson in the semis, 4-2, and finally Carey in the final. This was already the second final for Lawton this season as she fell to Val Sweeting in the championship game of the HDF Insurance Shoot-Out in September. Team Lawton should be Scotties contenders this season.

The 28-rink field had teams from Canada, United States, Europe and even Asia. Olympic silver medalist Cheryl Bernard won her first five games before falling to Einarson, 3-6, in the quarters. The young Edmonton foursome led by skipper Kelsey Rocque had another solid outing, making it to the semis before losing to Carey, 3-5. Two-time national champion and one-time world champion Kelly Scott of BC lost to Rocque, 4-9, in the quarters while defending champ Ayumi Ogasawara failed to make the playoffs.

Avonair Cash Spiel from Edmonton, AB (Oct 2-4) 

Purse: $9300

China's Jie Mei beat Rina Ida of Japan, 5-4, in the final to capture the Avonair Cash Spiel from Edmonton. Mei lost her first game, but won the next five to take the title. The 18-team field had teams from Alberta and Asia competing.

Sobeys Classic from New Glasgow, NS (Oct 1-4) 

Purse: $5400

Charlottetown’s Suzanne Birt went a perfect 7-0 to win the inaugural Sobeys Classic, beating Colleen Pinkney, 8-5, in the final. The 34-year-old from Summerside, PEI has appeared in eight Scotties Tournament of Hearts and should be the favourite to come out of the Maritime province once again in 2016. The small six-rink field featured teams from PEI and Nova Scotia.

 

Looking Ahead

Men's Tour

Oct 9-12: StuSells Toronto Tankard from Toronto, ON

Defending Champion: Reid Carruthers

Oct 9-12: Direct Horizontal Drilling Fall Classic from Edmonton, AB

Defending Champion: Kevin Koe

Oct 9-11: St. Paul Cash Spiel from St. Paul, Minnesota

Defending Champion: Mike Farbelow

Oct 9-12: KMC Rocktoberfest from Regina, SK

Defending Champion: New Event

Oct 10-12: Minebea Cup from Miyota, Japan

Defending Champion: New Event

Oct 9-12: Bud Light Men’s Cashspiel from Halifax, NS

Defending Champion: New Event

Women's Tour

Oct 9-12: Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic from Calgary, AB

Defending Champion: Jennifer Jones

Oct 9-11: Womens Masters Basel from Basel, Switzerland (CCT Event)

Defending Champion: Binia Feltscher

Oct 9-11: St. Paul Cash Spiel from St. Paul, Minnesota

Defending Champion: Aileen Sormunen

Oct 10-12: Minebea Cup from Miyota, Japan

Defending Champion: New Event

Oct 9-12: New Scotland Clothing Ladies Cashspiel from Halifax, NS

Defending Champion: New Event