Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones came through in the clutch to capture her eighth Manitoba Scotties title.
The 2014 Olympic gold medallist bounced back from a couple dicey late ends to draw for two points in the final frame and defeat Darcy Robertson 7-6 in Sunday’s final in Killarney.
Jones is supported by third Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jill Officer and lead Dawn McEwen. Lawes will not play at the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts — taking place Jan. 27 to Feb. 4 in Penticton, B.C. — as she joins John Morris for Team Canada’s mixed doubles entry at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Her replacement will be announced at a future date.
The first half of the final was all Jones, who drew for two in the opening end and hit for another pair in the fourth while forcing Robertson to singles in the second and fifth to lead 4-2 at the break.
After a blank in six, Jones got a single in seven to establish a three-point gap.
That’s when the momentum swung in Robertson’s favour. Back-to-back misses by Jones in the eighth, including a jam on a double attempt on her last, allowed Robertson to capitalize with a three-ender to draw even 5-5.
Things went from bad to worse for Jones in the ninth as her last rock sailed clear through the house untouched to give up a steal and fall behind 6-5.
Robertson stunned Jones in the Manitoba Scotties semifinal a year ago but there was no repeat here. With one point in her pocket, Jones pulled off the high-pressure draw into the four-foot circle on her last rock for her second and secure the championship.
Jones, who is a five-time Canadian champion, topped the Asham Black round-robin pool with a 6-1 record. Her lone blemish came on the opening day of the tournament in a 9-5 defeat to Joelle Brown. A 9-5 win over Kerri Einarson during Saturday night’s Page playoff 1 vs. 1 game gave Jones the clear path to the final.
Robertson went 6-1 through the Asham Express Red group and defeated Brown 9-7 during Saturday’s Page playoff 2 vs. 2 match. Her Winnipeg team advanced to the championship game with a 9-7 victory over Einarson during Sunday morning’s semifinal.
Einarson was on a roll prior to the playoffs going 7-0 to finish first in the Asham Express Red round-robin pool. The 2016 provincial champion from East St. Paul may have another opportunity to qualify for the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts via the all-new wildcard berth. The top two teams from the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) as of Monday who did not win their playdowns — which unofficially appear to be Einarson and Calgary’s Chelsea Carey — will face off Jan. 26 for the 16th and final spot.
Michelle Englot did not need to defend the Manitoba title as her Winnipeg-based club has already earned a return trip to nationals as Team Canada. Ottawa’s Rachel Homan beat Englot during last year’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts final but had to decline the auto-berth as her team is off to the Winter Olympics.