Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater cruised to an 8-3 win over Allison Flaxey of Caledon during Draw 2 round-robin action at the Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Tuesday afternoon in Brampton.
Middaugh took two in the first and never relinquished the lead in the battle between former provincial champions.
The teams split singles in the second and third ends and Flaxey gave up a steal of one in four as Middaugh extended her lead 4-1.
The five-time Ontario winner Middaugh held Flaxey to one point in five and picked up a three-ender in six to make it 7-2.
Flaxey, who earned the Ontario title in 2014, settled for another single in seven and shook hands when Middaugh matched with another point in eight.
Team Middaugh improved to a 1-1 record while Flaxey fell to 0-2.
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Elsewhere, Ottawa’s Rachel Homan climbed to a 2-0 record with an 8-4 victory over Julie Tippin (1-1) of Woodstock. Homan, a two-time Canadian champion, broke a 3-3 tie with a three-ender in the seventh, held Tippin to a single in eight and added a deuce in nine.
Ottawa’s Erin Morrissey is also up 2-0 in the round-robin following an 8-7 extra-end win over Toronto’s Cathy Auld (1-1).
Jenn Hanna of Ottawa picked up a 9-4 victory against Jacqueline Harrison of Mississauga. Hanna, the 2005 Ontario champion, now holds a 1-1 record while Harrison dropped to 0-2.
Defending champion Julie Hastings of Thornhill scored three in the eighth to ice an 8-3 win over Mallory Kean of Stoney Creek. Both teams are at 1-1 in the standings.
NOTES: Round-robin action continues Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET at the Brampton Curling Club (watch on Rogers TV Sports+). … The winner of the event will represent Ontario at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts running Feb. 20-28 in Grande Prairie, Alta.