TRURO – Truro curling fans will have a hometown team to root for at this year’s Molson Coors Tankard provincial men’s curling championship.
Truro’s Peter Burgess booked his spot in the event, which will be held at Truro Curling Club Feb. 5 to 10, by claiming the second of three berths at a last-chance qualifying tournament on the weekend in Wolfville.
“IT’s sort of a relief,” Burgess said. “Normally we consider ourselves a team that should be at provincials but I think there was a little extra pressure to get there this year with it being at our home club.”
Burgess, along with mate Craig Burgess, second Jared Bent and lead Todd Burgess, earned a berth with a 7-4 win over Mark Kehoe of CFB Halifax on Sunday morning. The victory gave Burgess a 5-1 record at the event.
Burgess held a 2-0 lead by the second end and after Kehoe scored one in the fifth, Burgess recorded four in the sixth to take control with a 6-1 lead.
“We played a lot better,” Burgess said. “We made more shots and we pretty much controlled every game we played. It’s good to be out front in those games and controlling the play. It builds a lot of confidence.”
Mayflower’s Mark Dacey, a five-time Tankard champ, went 5-0 to also claim a spot while CFB Halifax’s Alan O’Leary picked up the final Tankard berth.
Mayflower’s Ian Juurlink, Paul Flemming, Chad Stevens and Shea Steele and Lakeshore’s Jamie Murphy all qualified a week earlier in Amherst.
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