A Creston Valley team of senior curlers represented Zone 2 in the 70-plus age category at the annual Masters Combined Curling Championship, held this year in Kelowna from March 14-17.
A team of Al Tholl, Laddie Pavlis, Lloyd Lind and Harry Haberstock competed in a competition with four B.C. Interior teams as well as in an overall provincial championship involving eight teams, four from the Pacific Coast in addition to the four Interior teams. Harry Haberstock joined as fourth member of the team after Terry O’Connor suffered a very serious leg injury.
The team first competed against the four Pacific Coast teams, suffering three losses and earning one win in four hard fought games. The team fortunes took a turn for the better when play between the four Interior teams commenced. The Creston team defeated the Gordon Shimizu team of Grand Forks 7-5, then followed with a 6-3 win over Bruce Kerr and his Vernon team and finally earned a 7-3 win over Larry Bodner and team mates of Kelowna to earn the right to take the 2016 B.C. Interior Men’s Grand Master Shield home with them to Creston, for the next year.
A team from Glen Meadows, comprised of Glen Wilson, Grant Marshall, Dick Waller, Lyle Garraway and fifth man, Gary Rowe, claimed both the Pacific Coast Graham Donaldson Shield and the Combined Shield in the 70-plus age category.
The Creston team expressed their sincere, heartfelt thanks for the encouragement and strong support given them by the Creston Curling Club, the Creston Senior’s Curling Club, Overwaitea Foods and all their friends in this lovely valley. All team members returned home tired but still excited and happy for their experience.
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