Edin edges Martin in extra end at Players’ Championship
TORONTO — World champion Niklas Edin of Sweden fended off Edmonton’s Kevin Martin to win 4-3 in an extra end Wednesday night at the Players’ Championship.
Both teams now hold matching 1-1 records in the fourth and final Grand Slam of Curling tournament of the season taking place at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Elsewhere in Draw 5, Glenn Howard of Coldwater, Ont., climbed to 2-0 with a 4-2 victory over Toronto’s Greg Balsdon (0-2).
Jim Cotter of Vernon, B.C., thumped hometown hero and defending champion John Epping 8-2. Cotter (1-1) scored three in the first and four in the third while limiting his opponent to singles in two and four. Epping (0-2) opted for early handshakes after Cotter claimed another point in five.
Masters champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa scored two in the fifth and stole three in the sixth during a 6-3 victory over Renee Sonnenberg of Grande Prairie, Alta. Homan, who is aiming to sweep the two-event GSOC women’s series, moved up to a 2-0 round-robin record while Sonnenberg fell to 0-2.
Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland stole single points in three consecutive ends to beat Calgary’s Shannon Kleibrink 6-4. Both teams were looking for their first victory of the tournament with Muirhead improving to 1-1 and Kleibrink dropping to 0-2.
