MCA 121 - Team Coutts
SUNDAY: Games 7 & 8: An interesting day weather-wise, and there were some challenges for the folks in the drawroom, but Team Coutts spent a pleasant day at the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club. Our day started with the news that our noon game was 1PM and the lads weren't unhappy with an extra hour of rest - sort of like daylight savings time. We show up and greet our opponents who hand us Lindt chocolates.That's a pretty good way to start the day and we thoroughly enjoyed our game with Frank Herold and his West Kildonan team. Maybe more than they enjoyed it. We continued the strategy of last night's game. With Resby throwing first and calling the shots, and the young men sweeping, we maintained a simple approach to the game - again figuring if they don't have many rocks in play we'll give up fewer five-enders. Down two after four, we score ones on 5, 6, and 7 to lead by one coming home. Kudos to third thrower Derek Day whose tapback on the 6th set up a steal, to Mike whose draw on the 7th was in the perfect tricky spot to get us another steal, and to Lindsey Brown whose draw to the edge of the four foot behind cover on the 8th set up another steal for the 5-3 win. And best news of all the Herold team had a supply of Lindt chocolates to go another game - and they handed them over.The bad news was, we did a lot sweeping and were tiring fast. We were back-to-back against Jeff Keeler and his St Vital team. We scored two on the first but gave them back on the second. When we lost a measure for two on the third, we began to fade and they got stronger. Down four after six, we played one more - and scored a deuce - but they were too sharp for us coming home. Although we did force Jeff to throw the last one for victory.
So Team Coutts finishes with four wins and four losses - and yes, I'm counting the bye game as a win, because we bought ourselves in the Deer Lodge Calcutta and there is a pay out to the buyers who predict exactly the number of wins. You guessed it - Wednesday night at Deer Lodge - we predicted four wins.
Next action for Team Coutts in a slightly different form is the Melita Men's Bonspiel when #2 son Matthew comes home from Toronto to curl with us. He's been playing a bit this year so maybe this is our year to capture the elusive Melita Spiel title. The boy's grandfather has played every year for the past seven in the Melita spiel - but at 92 he says he has hung up his broom. We suspect he is telling the truth this time but we hope not - it will be different. On the other hand - imagine the chatter if the boys win the bonspiel the year he decides to pack it in.......
SATURDAY - Jan 31 - 6PM - Game 6: The new format MCA Bonspiel do-or-die game 6 was exactly the pressure that Team Coutts needed to get back on track. For the first time in three years the team has survived past the minimum allowable number of games. Granted this year, we are only assured of seven games but we'll see what tomorrow morning brings. After a number of shocking defeats, Team Coutts needed to unveil a whole new strategic approach. Clearly one of our problems was that people were scoring too many points so our objective had to be to reduce the potential by not letting them have rocks in the rings. We went to an old-style hitting game and found it worked pretty well. Our opponent got a break when, after they scored a well-earned deuce on end 3, we missed a last rock hit to give up a steal of 1 to trail 3-2 after four. Undaunted, given the fact that we have been much further behind after four ends, we managed a one on the 5th when Mike made the shot of the spiel (a hit and roll to the button behind a pair of their stones over-lapped in the front four foot circle) and we stole one on the 6th to tie the game. The seventh went our way finally and our opponent was just short on a draw facing four so the gloves were off and we had eliminated our first team from the bonspiel in three years.
It seems we've maybe found the secret to success, line-up wise. Mike and the lads suggested that I might want to throw first (no doubt counting on my experience to set up the ends) but they'd let me call the shots. Don't tell him I said so but Mike played very well tonight throwing last and most of the time he seemed to agree with my calls.
SATURDAY - Jan 31 - NOON - Game 5: Based upon surviving longest in this year's MCA Bonspiel premier Labatt Event, Cliff Holliston has proclaimed his team to be the best Carman team in the bonspiel this year. Holliston advised that Bill North and Bob Bartley both dropped their openers while his veteran squad won the first game - hence the proclamation. The genial veteran skip had obviously been reading thecurler.com's Team Coutts web page and showed up for the noon draw at Thistle with a copy of Curling for Dummies in hand. There was, regretfully, insufficient time for proper study. Son Mike was back at the tee and made a great come-around tap back for a single point on the first end - giving us the lead for the first time since Thursday evening at Ft Rouge. That was as good as it got, however, although we felt good when Holliston's shot for five on the second end was a little heavy and he scored only four. If you read earlier offerings, you know this was a positive sign. However, two ends later after a pair of steals, we were down five. A nice deuce on the fifth had us back in the game, down 6-3 with 3 ends to play. Again things went a little sideways and the final score ended up being 8-3. Classy team that they are, however, the Holliston team had a prize for us. A nice glass for each of us - apparently accumulated at great personal inconvenience at the
FRIDAY - Jan 30 - 9PM - Game 4: The Friday evening match-up with MCA 23 at the Granite served to end those trends reported earlier - no five-enders against and an addition to the win column with a shut-out score of 10-0. And to use the new language of statistics that is popular on the World Curling Tour - our points for per game is now 8+2+0+10=20 - a not great but not bad average of 5/game. points against is still a bit awkward. 7+11+11+0=28...but if you discount the three five enders - we're killing these guys. Even if you don't we're only being outscored 7-5 and that's pretty respectable. We'll see how we fare against the veteran Cliff Holliston from Carman at Thistle on the noon draw.FRIDAY - Jan 30 - 3PM: GAME 3: Game three at the Pembina established a couple of ominous trends for Team Coutts. For the third consecutive (yes all of them) game we have allowed a five-ender and for the second game today, we have allowed the other guys to score 11 points. This time out it was Darryl Flatt and his St Vital team. After a lack-lustre showing on the morning draw - it was time to shuffle the batting order so there I was, skipping three young men eager to learn from all the experience I had to offer.
We started strong but got in a little trouble on the opening end. A little `country heat` was required on my last rock to bang one out and hold the St Vitalians to a steal of one. No problem - next end we attack. We`re lying three when Darryl Flatt threw his last - made a nice double kill and was lying one when I threw my last one. Someone shortned the ice at Pembina, I think. Down 2 after 2. It didn`t get any better. We were never again lying shot rock until my first stone on the sixth when a slightly heavy draw was saved by a great sweep call by Mike at third. A double rub rolled my shooter to the back edge of the button where we were lying one - pretty certain of scoring. So certain in fact that I told Darryl - if you are laying shot stone after your last rock - I`m not throwing mine. Well darned if he didn`t follow with the same rub and roll to lie one. We were down 11-0 playing six. If I throw it and miss - he beats me 12-0 and we give up one more than son Mike did as skip in the morning. So I stuck to my guns - kicked them off and settled for the 11-0 score. Unfortunately a serious error has taken place. The official score elsewhere says the final was 12-0. Since the end was not completed - the point should not have been marked by the umpire - an official protest will no doubt have to be filed.
When I left the Pembina - the lads were in the bar discussing whether I would be playing lead, or playing at all, on the 9pm draw.
However, we got a break from the draw-master. We have drawn MCA 23 as our opponent - I`m betting if we show up for this one at Granite, we can stay even for a few ends.
FRIDAY - Jan 30 - 9AM: GAME #2 at East St Paul: Retired teacher John Goodwin and his Charleswood team gave the Coutts foursome a lesson on the early draw at East St Paul Friday. The lads appear not to be able to handle the front end of the day as they got behind early and trailed 6-2 after six ends. Proud dad watched skip Michael attempt a difficult angle bump that had to bite the button for a pair on the sixth. It overcurled about a half inch and reached the 4-ft but needed a bite of button. They had to go for it on the seventh and saw that strategy falter somewhat - giving up five for an 11-2 final score. Next game is at Pembina and we'll see if a little veteran experience at the tee can't help with a bounceback from the defeat.
THURSDAY - Jan 29: GAME #1 Following the opening ceremonies, we offered His
Honour Lieutenant Governor John Harvard a pair of shoes and a chance to compete in the bonspiel. He declined, but took a moment from his schedule for a picture with Team Coutts. (L-R Resby-5th; Mike-Skip; Dan-2nd; His Honour; Lindsey-lead; and Derek-3rd)The young men were ready to play and jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Abe Friesen's Steinbach team after 3 ends. They led 8-2 after 6 but the wily Friesen suckered the lads on the 7th end and scored a five to come home down 8-7 without the hammer. Team Coutts got its act back together sufficiently tohold on for an opening win.
WEDNESDAY-January 28: Curling out of Deer Lodge, for the 121st MCA bonspiel, the Coutts Team includesLindsey Brown-lead
Dan Seafoot - 2nd
Mike Coutts - Skip
Derek Day - 3rd
& Resby Coutts - Coach/5th
The team's bonspiel opens Thursday on the Opening Ceremonies draw at Fort Rouge at 6pm against veteran Abe Friesen and his Steinbach team.