Likely capitalizes on five-rock rule
To win Tankard’s ‘A’ qualifier
Having just played his first three games of the curling season, John Likely has quickly taken a liking to the sport’s new five-rock rule.
The rule means a team cannot remove an opponent’s rock from the free-guard zone until after the fifth rock of the end has been thrown.
Likely used the rule to his advantage in the 10th end of the ‘A’ qualifier at the modified tripleknockout P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling championship at the Western Community Curling Club on Thursday morning, and came away with the two points he needed to secure a 6-5 win over Jamie Newson.
“With the five-rock rule, if you really want to score two, it’s definitely pretty possible,” Likely acknowledged moments after the game.
Newson had scored one with hammer in the ninth end to break a 4-4 tie, but Likely got the win with his first deuce of the game in the 10th.
“It was a good game. Lots of chances both ways. There were some good shots and some bad shots,” the veteran skip admitted.
Assessing his team’s performance so far, he commented, “Everybody’s playing alright; there’s still room for improvement by everybody, for sure.”
He’s hoping that happens as the championship progresses. Likely and his team of Anson Carmody, Steve Burgess, Robbie Doherty and alternate Matthew Nabuurs were back on the ice Thursday night to face P.E.I. junior champion Tyler Smith, who scored an 8-6 win over Darren Higgins from Silver Fox.
Also on Thursday morning, defending Tankard champion Eddie MacKenzie got back on the winning track with an 8-4 win over Steve van Ouwerkerk from the Silver Fox.
That put MacKenzie in line for a Thursday night rematch with Newson. Newson defeated MacKenzie in an extra end on Wednesday.
The women’s ‘A’ qualifier between Veronica Smith from Cornwall and Melissa Morrow from Silver Fox was scheduled for Thursday.