There were no major upsets to start off the provincial men’s curling championship.
The top five seeds all won their opening games on day one of the Viterra Championship in Virden, Manitoba.
Team Reid Carruthers made quick work of the Granite Curling Club’s Robert Daudet. Carruthers scored a pair of five-enders, and stole three points in the fourth end on their way to a 15-1 landslide victory in just five ends of play.
They’ll face Brandon’s Terry McNamee in an A-Side semifinal match on Thursday at 12:15 pm.
The second seeded Jason Gunnlaugson rink out of Morris started the event with a convincing 10-2 win over the Charleswood Curling Club’s Darren Perche. They’ll look to keep things rolling in their next game against the hometown favourites out of Virden, skipped by Graham Freeman.
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Braden Calvert and his third seeded foursome was also victorious. The team out of the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club scored three points in the second and fourth ends on their way to a 9-3 triumph against the Burntwood Curling Club’s Shaun Parsons. They’ll next face the Granite Curling Club’s Trevor Loreth in draw five at 8:30 am on Thursday.
Fourth seed Tanner Lott and fifth seed Dennis Bohn also won their opening matches. Lott beat Dauphin’s Greg Todoruk 9-2 in just six ends. Bohn needed an extra end to defeat Baldur’s Grant Shewfelt 6-5.
With a double-knockout format, the 32-team field will be chopped by four teams in the late draw on Wednesday.
The final is scheduled for 2:30 pm on Sunday. The winner of the Viterra Championship will represent Manitoba at the Brier next month in Brandon, Manitoba.
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