ANNANDALE PLAYERS LOOKING FOR GREENER PASTURES

by Jim Easson

One of the top teams in Annandale's competitive men's curling league is disbanding. Gord Norton whose team of Warren Leslie, Mike Trudeau, Alex Bianchi and Ron Alexander has been a perennial challenger in the OCA playdowns, is history. The team has won, for example, the Last Chance Bonspiel in the past two years. Gord no longer wants to enter the zones and the players are moving elsewhere to stay competitive. Warren Leslie is joining an Uxbridge team skipped by Greg Timbers with Barry Acton and Kent Cochrane. Alex Bianchi and Mike Trudeau are joining an Oshawa foursome skipped by Brian Suddard with John Brotherhood. The zone playdown for Senior Men goes in Dalewood November 28, and the Tankard playdown is slated for Annandale on December 5.

The Annandale team that won the TCA Junior Bonspiel and a trip to Switzerland last December has changed slightly. Jennifer McGhee was coach for Lesley Pyne, Stacey Hogan, Leahanne Legrow, and Jackie Clarke. Line-up this year is Lesley Pyne, Stacey Hogan, Suzanne Miller and Katie Hickey. The team entered the 5th Annual City of Brampton Kiwanis Junior Cashspiel last weekend. They won their pool with a 4-1 record and made the Sunday playoff round (only 8 out of 24 teams advanced). Then the team lost in an extra end on Sunday morning and dropped to the Consolation Round. They won the next game against Katie Lindsay from Oakville, but lost the final game against Sara Westman and finished 6th overall. Michael Bryson had a Junior Men's team entered too, but they did not place.

Ontario champion Glenn Howard with Pickering resident Richard Hart back at vice, and the front end of Brent Laing, and Craig Savill, takes the team to Portage, Manitoba October 24 - 27, 2008 for the 2008 Meyers Norris Penny Prairie Classic. The team has won it the past two years, and hopes to keep this streak alive. The total purse this running is $58,000 with $18,000 slated for the winner.

For the 25th October Curling Clinic at Annandale, approximately 30 curlers for the beginners and 30 curlers for the advanced clinic have signed up. Sign-up sheets are near the office and on the various league boards hoping to capture a few more people this week.


Jim Easson

October 20, 2008
905-427-8269
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