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| Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta) upended Brad Gushue 7-6 in an Extra End during Draw 2 action at The National. |
(Dec 3, 2008) -- Glenn Howard’s winning streak reaches 13 during the opening day of the men’s second 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event
QUEBEC CITY, December 3, 2008 – Reigning World Champion Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.) enjoyed a successful start in his quest for a third consecutive title at The National after defeating reigning Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.) 7-6 in an extra end this evening during the opening day of the men’s second Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event, taking place at ExpoCité in Quebec City.
With Martin ahead 6-4 in eighth, Gushue tied the game with a dramatic double takeout on his final shot to score two points. Holding the hammer in the extra frame, Martin successfully executed a draw to the button for a one-point victory.
“It was a good battle,” said Martin. “Probably a good game to start out with something that hard and then sneak through it.”
Glenn Howard’s (Coldwater, Ont.) bid to win a fourth consecutive Capital One Grand Slam of Curling title, and a seventh consecutive World Curling Tour event championship, started off on the right foot as the 2007 World Champion defeated American John Larway (Seattle, Washington) 6-2.
Howard’s decision over Larway marked his team’s 13th consecutive victory on the World Curling Tour. With the win, Howard’s foursome improves to 44-6 on the season.
“The main thing for us is consistency,” said Howard. “If you play solid right through the line-up all the time, you’re going to win the majority of your games. Right now we’re on the same page, we’re all making shots and good things are happening.”
In other Draw 2 action, Martin Ferland (Trois Rivières, Que.) dropped his overall record to 1-1 after falling 6-4 to Bob Ursel (Kelowna, B .C.).
Ursel improved to 1-1 with the win.
The remaining games in Draw 2 saw Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.) defeat Mike McEwen (Winnipeg, Man.) 5-3 and Wayne Middaugh (Midland, Ont.) slide past Shawn Adams (Halifax, N.S.) 7-2.
In the day’s opening draw, Jean-Michel Ménard (Quebec City, Que.) rallied to edge Pat Simmons (Davidson, Sask.) 7-6; Ferland bested Kevin Koe (Edmonton, Alta.) 5-2; Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.) powered past Joel Jordison (Moose Jaw, Sask.) 9-4; Greg McAulay (Richmond, B.C.) worked overtime to defeat China’s Fengchung Wang (Harbin, China) 9-8 in an extra end; and Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.) doubled up Ursel (Kelowna, B.C.) 6-3.
Featuring a total of 18 rinks, Thursday’s draw times for The National are set for 10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET respectively.
The top eight teams following the conclusion of round robin play qualify for the tournament’s quarterfinals on Saturday, December 6 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
The National features a total purse of $100,000. The tournament’s winning team will receive a maximum of $25,000.
Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is a series of eight premier men’s and women’s events that boast Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields.
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is one of a select few events that are tied to the Canadian Curling Association\'s qualifying process for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Through their performance in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events, rinks can earn points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Trials.
About Capital One
Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard® credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard® in Canada. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).
About Insight Sports Ltd.
Insight Sports Ltd. is a leading North American sports media and entertainment company which owns, creates, aggregates and distributes sports and entertainment content across multiple platforms, including broadcast television, events, on-line, mobile, in-arena and video on-demand. Among its event assets, Insight Sports owns and operates the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling (www.worldcurlingtour.com), a series of eight high-profile men’s and women’s events that feature Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields.
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