Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, and defending champion Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) will meet in the finals of the BDO Classic Canadian Open tomorrow afternoon for the second straight season after each team posted convincing victories this evening in the semi-finals of the season’s third Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man.
Martin qualified for the final after defeating Thomas Ulsrud (Olso, Norway), Norway’s 2010 Olympic representative, 6-3 while Howard overpowered Wayne Middaugh (Etobicoke, Ont.) 7-2 in the other semi-final.
With the victories, both teams advance to the championship game with identical 7-0 records.
On Sunday, the two squads will meet for the first time since the finals of the 2009 Canadian Olympic Trials.
“We’ve played Glenn so much but I know the last time we played was in the (Canadian Olympic) Trials final,” said Martin. “He’ll be after us hard tomorrow.”
The final of the BDO Classic Canadian Open will take place on Sunday, January 24 at 1:00 p.m. EST and will be shown live on CBC Television and CBCSports.ca. During the fourth end break of the championship game, Alma Laidlaw, 63, of Guelph Ont. will compete in the finals of theCapital One Million Dollar Button where she’ll have the chance to throw a rock to the button for $1 million (CDN).
Martin, the all-time leader in Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event titles, will be aiming to win his 14th career title on Sunday. A victory tomorrow by Howard would move him into second place on the all-time list with nine career Slam championships.
In the evening’s featured semi-final between the 2010 Olympic qualifiers, Martin jumped on Ulsrud early, executing an open draw for two points in the opening end. Tied at 2-2 in the fourth, the 2008 World Championship gold medallist extended his lead with an open draw for three points, and a commanding 5-2 advantage.
Ulsrud, competing in his second career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event semi-final, was aiming to become the first European team to reach a Slam final.
In the second semi-final, Howard seized control of the game early, scoring two points in the first and adding a steal of one in the second end to jump out to a 3-0 lead.
Leading 3-1 in the fourth, Howard locked up his spot in the final after executing an open draw for three points.
With the victory, Howard has now qualified for the final in seven of the past nine Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events. During that span, the 2007 World Championship gold medallist has won five Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event titles, including this season’s Grey Power World Cup of Curling.
In 2008-09, Howard defeated Martin 8-4 at the MTS Centre to capture his first career BDO Classic Canadian Open title.
“Any win against Kevin and you’re pretty happy,” said Howard, reflecting on last year’s BDO Classic Canadian Open final. “Not too many teams beat him. We usually play pretty solid against him and hopefully it will be a good one tomorrow.”
In the afternoon’s quarterfinal draw, Howard defeated Bob Ursel (Kelowna, B.C.) 7-3 while Martin outdistanced Mike McEwen (Winnipeg, Man.) 9-5.
In other quarterfinal action, Middaugh scored a single point in the eighth end to defeat Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.) 6-5.
Ulsrud earned a spot in the tournament’s final four after scoring two points in the final end to edge Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.) 6-5. The victory by Ulsrud marked just the third time a European team has qualified for the semi-finals of a Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event.
The BDO Classic Canadian Open features a $100,000 (CDN) purse. The tournament’s champion will earn $25,000 (CDN).
Throughout the BDO Classic Canadian Open, members of the media can access live scoring, schedule and statistical information of each draw by visiting the official Capital One Grand Slam of Curling website at www.grandslamofcurling.com.
Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling features the world’s best players in one series.
Related posts:
- Howard and Martin Secure Top Seeds Heading into BDO Classic Canadian Open Quarterfinals
- Kevin Martin Back on Track to Open BDO Classic Canadian Open
- Martin, Howard, Ulsrud and Middaugh Through to the Quarterfinals at the BDO Classic Canadian Open
- Martin, Howard and Ulsrud Pull Away at BDO Classic Canadian Open
- Kevin Martin Captures Fifth Career BDO Classic Canadian Open Title
Tags: BDO Classic Canadian Open, capital one grand slam of curling, glenn howard, kevin martin