Coldwell Banker Open Bonspiel March 18th – 20th

Nugget Column #22 – Wednesday February 23rd, 2016

The North Bay Granite Club’s annual Coldwell Banker Open Bonspiel is now taking registrations for the weekend of March 18th, 19th and 20th.

Cost is only $200/team if registered by March 4th, or $240 after the early bird deadline. Teams may consist of any combination of male or female curler of any age or ability. Entry into the event includes meals Friday and Saturday evenings in addition to curling, live entertainment and more.

As of today we have thirteen teams registered while we are aiming for twenty-four. Interested curlers can find more information and register at NBGraniteClub.com/Coldwell.

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Congratulations to Mark Brown, Brad Beaver, Luc Gelinas and David Lawes who finished with a very respectable 4-3 record at the Northern Ontario Senior Men’s Curling Provincial in Iroquois Falls this past weekend.

In the end it was Team Gordon from the Sudbury Curling Club who would earn the right to represent Northern Ontario at the Canadian Seniors in Digby, Nova Scotia March 28th – April 2nd.

In Mixed Doubles playdown action, North Bay’s Bobby Ray and Joanne Come played short of their potential in Little Current. Nonetheless a very strong pairing in Chris Glibota and Megan St. Amand representing the Community First Curling Centre in Sault Ste. Marie prevailed and will now travel to Saskatoon for the 2016 Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials.

The Wednesday Night Cash League is now in its season-ending playoff and will look forward to crowning the 2016 winners of the Scott Patterson Memorial plaque after the championship final scheduled for March 30th.

Waiting in the Semi-Final brackets are Team Curling Life (Jeff Brown, Gavan Jamieson, Steve Decary and Bobby Ray) who finished first after round robin action, and Team Gagnon (Real Gagnon, Brad Beaver, Brian Eckensviller and Val Beaver) who finished second.

Each week two teams are eliminated from the draw while consolation play continues until the end of the season. This week Team Mike Callahan and Team Laura Forget face their first elimination game. Spectators are welcome to attend playoff games Wednesday nights at 6:30pm.

Friday Night Mixed League curlers will be looking at their last opportunity to dethrone the two-time draw winning Mark Brown team when play resumes this Friday February 26th.

Brown with Chris Chartrand throwing second stones won the first draw with Kayla Lansley and Shannon Chaif, while the second draw was won with Bonnie Tweedle and Sue Cantin.

Brown and Tweedle also captured the Granite Club’s first-ever Doubles League draw, which ran from December 3rd to January 28th. Another round began last week with seven pairs and a guest team. If anyone has an interested in trying Doubles Curling, they can inquire about filing the guest spot on a Thursday night.

The club’s popular Rookie League crowned its first champions of 2015-2016 when Doug Rogers, Lori Bodley, Denis Dufresne and Sue Rogers clinched the second trimester final over Team Everest.

A new draw is now in progress and nine new members have discovered the fun of Rookie League curling on Thursday nights.

Bobby Ray General Manager North Bay Granite Club