The annual in-house Short Mat Mixed Triples Tournament was held on the weekend of February 7-8 and eight teams – chosen, as always, by random draw – fought for the title.
On Saturday each team played three games: some of these were very close, including one tie, but a few were rather more one-sided and the losers are probably doing their best to forget them.
At close of play on Saturday the top four teams, who proceeded to the playoffs on Sunday were:
- 1st: Shona Dallison (standing in at literally the eleventh hour, for her indisposed father Don Bellows – he is, happily, fine), Sirish
- Patel and Eleanor Walker; they won all three of their games.
- 2nd: Mike Lee, Jenny Waelti-Walters and Lee Ann Daniels; they won two and tied one.
- 3rd: David Gardner, Mary Darling and Sandra McConnell, who won two.
- 4th: Deryk Barker, NaDine McDowell and Trudy Cutfield, who won one and tied one. (NaDine was so convinced they had not made the playoffs that she
- was busy planning her Sunday when the email arrived with the first-round results…)
Sunday’s playoffs provided lots of drama. With the victors of both the first two games winning by a ten point margin.
The Gold/Silver and Bronze medal games, however were much tighter, although both started with one team winning the first three ends, before their opponents clawed their way back into the game.
Shona, Sirish and Patel took David, Mary and Sandra down to the wire, being tied eight all after the regular ten ends, thus necessitating a final tie-breaking end, which Shona’s team won by a single point.
One the other mat, Deryk, NaDine and Trudy found themselves once again playing Mike, Jenny and Lee Ann, having tied with them the previous day. Once again, the game was very close but ultimately Deryk’s team could not quite keep Mike’s team from edging them out on the final end and winning ten to nine.
The final results then:
First: Shona Dallison, Sirish Patel and Eleanor Walker
Second: David Gardner, Mary Darling and Sandra McConnell
Third: Mike Lee, Jenny Waelti-Walters and Lee Ann Daniels
Fourth: Deryk Barker, NaDine McDowell and Trudy Cutfield
As usual, the entire tournament was played with the bonhomie and esprit de corps which typify our club.
Of course, tournaments don’t run themselves and so a big “thank you” to:
Kitchen Crew: Bev Scheurle, Kim Engelstad, Sharron Maxymyshyn, Leslie Symes, Laima van Tournhout.
Computer: Barb MacLeod, Lesley Bainbridge, Gill Hobbs, Linda Thompson.
Mat vacuuming: Kenn Pearce.
Photography: Alana Pearce.
General dogsbody and scribe: Deryk Barker