Japan’s Matsumura, Yoshimura win Oakville Fall Classic
Oakville, Ont. — It was a clean sweep for Japan at the Oakville Fall Classic.
Team Yuta Matsumura downed Regina’s Team Matt Dunstone 9-2 in Sunday’s men’s final at the Oakville Curling Club while Team Sayaka Yoshimura completed an undefeated run on the women’s side following a 5-1 victory over Ottawa’s Team Erica Hopson.
Matsumura, who finished with an overall 6-1 record in the tournament, is supported by third Tetsuro Shimizu, second Yasumasa Tanida and lead Shinya Abe. Yoshimura’s crew (6-0) also features third Kaho Onodera, second Anna Ohmiya and lead Yumie Funayama.
“I’m very, very happy,” Abe said. “This is our first season together, it’s a new team so it’s a good start for us.”
Although Dunstone opened with the hammer, he was unable to capitalize and was forced to a single in the second to open the scoring.
“It was a good start but we had a bit of trouble in the second end,” Abe said. “Our skip made a great tap and Team Dunstone made a good shot but it was a turning point, I think.”
It was all Matsumura from there with a three-ender in the third to take control. The two-time Canadian junior champion Dunstone was forced to another single in the fourth and Matsumura drew for three more points in the fifth to pull away 6-2.
The teams shook hands early after Dunstone faced another trio in the sixth and misfired his last to give up the steal.
Meanwhile, Yoshimura scored deuces in the first and fifth ends while adding a steal in the sixth and limiting Hopson to a lone point in the second.
The World Curling Tour schedule resumes right where it leaves off with the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard beginning Tuesday at the Oakville Curling Club.