News National

CONCEPTION BAY SOUTH, N.L. — Ottawa’s Rachel Homan defeated Kerri Einarson 4-1 to win the Boost National championship and her record-tying ninth Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling women’s title.

Homan has now matched Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones on the all-time women’s list in the series.

The team of Homan, third Emma Miskew, second Joanne Courtney and lead Lisa Weagle cashed in $30,000 from the $250,000 total purse and added 12 more points to their Pinty’s Cup lead.

Here is how it all went down.

1ST END: Homan opened with the hammer and blanked to put bagels on the board. HOMAN O, EINARSON 0

2ND END: Homan left a point on the table with an opportunity to hit and stick for a deuce but rolled out and settled for a single. HOMAN 1, EINARSON 0

3RD END: Yeah, about that lost point in the previous end? Homan earned it back here on a steal. Einarson split the rings with one on the right side and cluster of a couple on the left. Homan froze out the pair to lie shot stone and Einarson looked for a risky runback for a big reward. She connected with her guard, sending it into the house but didn’t get the right angle and took out her two conceding a point. HOMAN 2, EINARSON 0

4TH END: Another steal. Homan’s last collided with a guard and Einarson made the double takeout on her final rock, but her shooter rolled up and over top to miss the third one at the edge of the eight-foot circle. Einarson still had another in a similar spot at the opposite of the house and out came the measuring stick. Survey says … Homan. HOMAN 3, EINARSON 0

5TH END: Einarson couldn’t get the offence going but managed a hit and roll out for a blank. HOMAN 3, EINARSON 0

6TH END: More opportunities, more misses. Einarson had a raise double takeout lined up for a possible deuce but didn’t get the back one and her shooter rolled out taking her other stone with it to hand over another point. HOMAN 4, EINARSON 0

7TH END: Einarson is finally on the board to break the shutout but not without another error. With one in her pocket, Einarson had to draw fully into the eight-foot circle for her second point, but it didn’t hit the brakes in time and Team Homan third Emma Miskew added some extra steam brushing it just far enough for it not to count. HOMAN 4, EINARSON 1

8TH END: That’s the ball game as Homan runs Einarson out of rocks. HOMAN 4, EINARSON 1

Team Homan needed an extra end to edge Team Einarson to wrap up pool play with a 3-1 record and qualify for the playoffs. Homan topped Team Jacqueline Harrison in the quarterfinals and Team Jennifer Jones in the semifinals.

Homan won her eighth career Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title last month at the Tour Challenge Tier 1 to close within one of Jones for the most women’s championships captured in the series all-time.

Both skips have their names on the National already with Homan capturing the inaugural title in 2015 and Einarson earning the championship the following year with her previous squad.

The “all-skip squad” Team Einarson went 2-2 in the round-robin and had to qualify out of a tiebreaker with authority trumping Team Jamie Sinclair 12-0 stealing all her points over the course of just four ends. The No. 8 seed Einarson took down No. 1 Team Anna Hasselborg in the quarterfinals and Team Silvana Tirinzoni in the semis.

Earlier Sunday, Scotland’s Team Ross Paterson edged countrymen Team Bruce Mouat 4-3 in an extra end to win the men’s title. It was the first championship in the series for Team Paterson.

NOTES: The Boost National was the fourth event and second major of the 2018-19 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. … All games in the series are played to eight ends with 33 minutes of thinking time plus two, 90-second timeouts. The five-rock rule is also in effect. … The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling resumes after the holiday break in the New Year with the 2019 Meridian Canadian Open taking place Jan. 8-13 in North Battleford, Sask.