News Tour Challenge

PARADISE, N.L. — Scotland’s Eve Muirhead improved to a 2-1 record at the Tour Challenge following a 7-1 victory over reigning world champion Alina Paetz of Switzerland in Draw 8 action Thursday.

Teams battled through frosty ice conditions and Muirhead led 2-1 through six before getting a five-ender in the sixth. Paetz fell to a 1-2 record. 

Meanwhile, Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones (1-2) earned her first victory of the Tour Challenge winning 7-3 over Moscow’s Anna Sidorova (0-3). 

Edmonton’s Val Sweeting (1-2) scored three in the second and again in the fourth during an 8-3 victory against Julie Hastings (0-3) of Thornhill, Ont.

Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., edged Calgary’s Chelsea Carey 5-4 to climb to 3-0 and qualify for the playoffs. Carey holds a 2-1 record. 

In the men’s division, Switzerland’s Peter de Cruz scored two in the second and stole treys in four and six to win 8-2 over Toronto’s John Epping and earn his first win at the Tour Challenge. Both rinks are at 1-2 records.

TIER 2: American Jamie Sinclair rolled out to a 9-2 victory over Chantelle Eberle of Regina to climb to 3-0 and qualify for the playoffs.

Sinclair jumped out to an 8-0 lead thanks to a three-ender in the first, steals of two in the second and third ends and a single steal in four. Team Eberle counted two in the fifth to get on the board but shook hands after Sinclair added another point in six.

“What we’re trying to focus on is just try and take it one game at a time and not get ahead of ourselves,” Sinclair said. “That’s been working, just taking it shot-by-shot, just trying to win every end and then that turns into the big W. That’s what we’re doing and it seems to be working for us. We’re 3-0, can’t complain at all.”

In the men’s Tier 2, Jim Cotter of Vernon, B.C. stole four in the first en route to a 6-3 win over Andrew Symonds of St. John’s. Cotter leads the men’s side with a 3-0 record and is bound for the playoffs.