Englot, Laycock open with wins at Tour Challenge
REGINA — It’s back to school and back to business for teams in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling on Day 1 of the season-opening Tour Challenge event.
Michelle Englot kicked off her hometown event in the Tier 1 division Tuesday evening with a 9-3 victory over Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg.
The Regina native Englot opened with a deuce in the first and stole a point in the second for an early 3-0 lead. Englot forced Hasselborg to a single in three and took another pair of points in four to lead 5-1 at the break.
Hasselborg countered with a couple in five, but Englot rolled away from there with a three-count in six and a steal of one in seven.
“It’s great actually,” Englot said. “When you start an event like this against one of the top teams in the world it’s always nice to come out on top for sure.”
Although Englot’s team — featuring third Kate Cameron, second Leslie Wilson, and lead Raunora Westcott — is based in Winnipeg, thanks to their skip the Scotties Tournament of Hearts silver medallists had the crowd on their side.
“That was super awesome,” Englot said. “I’ve been looking forward to this since I found out the first Slam was here. We’re just going to enjoy the event.”
Elsewhere, Jacqueline Harrison of Mississauga edged Ontario rival Rachel Homan of Ottawa 7-6.
Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock escaped with a 6-5 win over John Morris’s team from Vernon, B.C. Laycock led by two without the hammer coming home and almost lost it in the eighth end, but Team Morris fourth Jim Cotter couldn’t quite close the deal with his last shot and only got a single.
“Escape is the right word for that one,” Laycock said. “We made a lot of mistakes in that game. We made a lot of good shots to get into the position we had, two-up coming home, but we played a really bad last end and then my last one picked to set up the shot for the win.
“We’re lucky. It was a pretty good throw and slightly heavy, but they would have got away with it just early sweep cost them.”
Laycock also felt the crowd support and is looking forward to it during the rest of the week.
“It was great. I saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd too,” Laycock said. “I always love playing in these Saskatchewan Slams. You guys have to keep coming here.”
Toronto’s John Epping toppled Pat Simmons’s Winnipeg-based team 10-3 and American John Shuster beat Calgary’s Kevin Koe 5-4 to wrap up the draw.
TIER 2
Winnipeg’s Jason Gunnlaugson scored a 10-1 rout over Saskatoon’s Jason Jacobson.
China’s Rui Liu downed Saskatoon’s Colton Flasch 7-1.
Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson defeated Saskatoon’s Nancy Martin 9-1.
Robyn Silvernagle of North Battleford, Sask., picked up a 9-5 win over Russia’s Anna Sidorova.
Calgary’s Chelsea Carey beat Penny Barker of Moose Jaw, Sask., 11-2.
NOTES
The Tour Challenge is the season-opening event of the 2017-18 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling calendar and runs through to Sunday at the Co-operators Centre at Evraz Place. … TV coverage begins Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet. … Winners of the Tier 1 division receive invites to the season-ending Pinty’s GSOC event, the Humpty’s Champions Cup, running April 24-29 in Calgary. … Winners of the Tier 2 division earn berths to the following Pinty’s GSOC event, the Masters, taking place Oct. 24-29 in Lloydminster, Sask.
