Dozens of curlers from all across the globe battled it out at the Abbotsford Curling Club’s Classic Cash Spiel, which ran from Friday to Sunday.
Victoria’s Team Montgomery earned top spot on the men’s side, while the Moiseeva team from Russia took honours in the women’s division. Both teams earned a cool $6,000 with their victories.
Round-robin play kicked off on Friday, with the 16 men’s and women’s teams separated into four different groups apiece. Playoff action began on Saturday, with championships handed out on Sunday.
The men’s side nearly saw a Cinderella story emerge, as ACC manager Kent Bird helped fill in the roster for Team Geall from Kelowna and he helped guide the team all the way to the men’s final.
Skip Sean Geall, who resides in Abbotsford, and his team found themselves a man short and recruited Bird to fill in as the team’s lead.
The ACC’s Eric Weiss said it was a busy weekend for Bird.
“He prepared the ice for all the draws, dealt with a power outage that caused the ice to start melting, dealt with all the other little details in between games and on-ice duties that made the event a success,” he said.
“And wouldn’t you know it, his team not only got to the final on the men’s side, but had an opportunity to be champions on the last shot of the event.”
The Geall team earned $3,500 for the second-place finish, with New Westminster’s Team Pierce placing third.
The Russian women dominated the women’s draw, going undefeated throughout pool play and in the playoff rounds.
The Moiseeva team defeated Victoria’s Team Pewarchuk in Sunday’s final to earn the top spot. The Brown team from Kamloops finished third.
Next up for the ACC is the Abbotsford Senior Mixed Bonspiel, which runs from Thursday to Saturday at the club. The ACC then hosts the CurlBC Region 11 men’s playdowns from Jan. 5 to 7.
For more on the club, visit abbotsfordcurling.com.