Jason Montgomery sputtered off the starting line before moving into gear about three ends in and, thus, drove off with one of two berths to the Belairdirect sa国际传媒 Men鈥檚 Curling Championship on Sunday.
A deuce in the third end, followed by steals of two, one and two over the next three ends made quick work of Wes Craig in the A-event final of the Island Men鈥檚 playdowns at the Victoria Curling Club.
The 7-1 win in six ends moves Montgomery, third Cameron de Jong, second Miles Craig and lead Will Duggan into provincials, slated to start Jan. 30 in Parksville.
鈥淚鈥檓 pleased with the weekend. It was just three games, but we definitely brought our game. We were in control for the most part,鈥� Montgomery said.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 play well the first couple of ends, so we were just happy with keeping them from getting two early and then we sort of found the weights and got rocks into better positions.鈥�
Down 1-0 after two ends, Montgomery struck for a deuce in the third and stole the two in the fourth and then was well on the way.
鈥淎nytime you can get a steal of two is pretty big. We got a few misses out of them, but I think we were the better team,鈥� said Montgomery, who went into the eight-team event as the No. 1 seed.
Montgomery now returns to provincials after missing last season due to hernia surgery.
Montgomery鈥檚 second, Miles Craig, will be making his sixth straight trip to sa国际传媒鈥檚 and this one had to run through dad Wes Craig鈥檚 team.
鈥淚鈥檝e played him so many times now that it鈥檚 not like playing against my dad, really,鈥� Miles said afterward. 鈥淲e pretty much play each other a couple of times every year, so it鈥檚 like playing any other team now.鈥�
That鈥檚 likely not the case for his mom, Rosalyn, always an observer.
鈥淪he says she cheers for good shots, but I think she鈥檚 maybe cheering for him a little bit,鈥� Miles said with a laugh.
As for this latest meeting, Miles stated: 鈥淭oday we weren鈥檛 great for the first couple of ends. I thought we were better [Saturday], but from ends three to six today we were back on.鈥�
Montgomery certainly didn鈥檛 miss a beat after missing last year.
鈥淗e鈥檚 playing as well as he鈥檚 ever played, for sure,鈥� added Miles.
As for Wes Craig, he did bounce back to down Neil Dangerfield 8-7 to earn the B-event berth, battling from a 6-4 deficit after seven ends. Craig鈥檚 senior team consists of third Gerald Poelman, second Tony Anslow and lead Victor Gamble.
Both qualififying teams hail from the Victoria Curling Club.
Dangerfield had defeated Matthew McCrady鈥檚 junior team, from the Royal City Club in New Westminster, 7-5 in the B-event semifinal after trailing 5-2 after six ends. Both Dangerfield and Glen Jackson, two veteran VCC skips, failed to qualify, but an Open playdown is slated for Jan. 5-7 in Abbotsford.
Meanwhile, at the first Women鈥檚 Open event in Hope, Holly Donaldson鈥檚 split VCC/Vancouver team, which includes Lindsay Hudyma at third, Steph Jackson-Baier at second and lead Carley Sandwith, earned the third and final qualifying spot for the sa国际传媒 Scotties on Sunday afternoon.
The Donaldson rink downed former VCC skip Sarah Wark (who now hails out of Chilliwack) 9-7 in the C-final. Wark also lost the B-final 6-5 to Karla Thompson of Kamloops. Kim Slattery of Vernon earned the A-event berth. Dailene Pewarchuk of the VCC and Kesa Van Osch of Nanaimo were eliminated earlier in the event, but a second Open event is slated for Kelowna this weekend.
The three women鈥檚 event winners in Hope qualify for the sa国际传媒 Scotties at the Victoria Curling Club, Jan. 2-7.
EXTRA ENDS: Chris Baier of the VCC led his team of third Adam Cseke, second Matt Tolley and lead Cal Jackson to the B-event win at the six-team Okanagan playdowns, defeating Mark Longworth of Vernon 9-7 in the B final. Brent Pierce earned the A-qualifier.
