CBC Sports: Selzer wins junior curling crown

WebPosted Sat, 28 Jan 2006 15:01:37 EST
CBC Sports

Mandy Selzer won the all-western matchup in the women’s final of the Canadian junior curling championships Saturday in Thunder Bay, Ont.

* RELATED: CBC Championship Curling

Selzer skipped her Saskatchewan rink to a 10-6 victory over Manitoba’s Calleen Neufeld to claim the women’s crown and earn the right to represent Canada at the world junior championships.

Saskatchewan leads all provinces in women’s titles with 10 since the first Canadian junior women’s championship in 1971. Marliese Miller won Saskatchewan’s last title in 2003.

“Unreal. Words can’t really explain it,” a tearful Selzer told CBC Sports after the victory.

Selzer said the “close bond” with her teammates from the Balgonie Curling Club helped her deliver the province’s first championship in three years.

Selzer and Neufeld traded single points over the first two ends. Saskatchewan drew for four in the third, but Manitoba bounced right back with four in the next end.

Selzer said the fourth end was the turning point in the contest.

“After the four-ender we gave back to them we decided that we [couldn’t] give away any more of those,” Selzer said.

Saskatchewan added one in the fifth end and then stole a single in the sixth to take a 7-5 lead.

Sitting on a tenuous 7-6 advantage, Saskatchewan gained some breathing room when it drew for three in the ninth end to take a 10-6 lead. A point-less 10th end handed the win to the Saskatchewan rink.

Alberta’s Charley Thomas meets British Columbia’s Ty Griffith on Sunday in the men’s final (CBC, 12:30 p.m. ET).

The Canadian men’s and women’s champions will travel to Jeonju, Korea, to compete in the 2006 world junior curling championships slated for March 11-19.

Canadian Kyle George won the men’s world title at last year’s tournament in Pinerolo, Italy.

Copyright © CBC 2006

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