Jones opens with a pair of victories at worlds

Canada alternate Shannon Birchard was expecting to chat about the start of Saturday’s opening game when she joined her teammates at ice level for the fifth-end break.

Instead vice-skip Kaitlyn Lawes handed her a broom and asked if she wanted to make her world championship debut.

It was the latest unexpected development in a season Birchard will never forget.

With the game well in hand, Birchard — who helped the Jennifer Jones team win a national title last month — played the last two ends in an 11-5 win over Anna Kubeskova of the Czech Republic.

“To have me come in shows me that they trust me and I’m really excited that I got the opportunity,” Birchard said.

Lawes, who returned for Canada’s 10-5 win over Switzerland in the nightcap, had to miss the Scotties Tournament of Hearts due to her Olympic mixed doubles obligations.

Birchard served as a substitute on the Manitoba rink and played like a veteran as Jones won her sixth career national title.

“She’s super smart and has a ton of confidence,” Jones said. “Confidence isn’t something that you can just sign up for. You have to have it within and she’s got it.

“We’re really lucky to have her and she adds a lot of laughs as well, which is good.”

Birchard, 23, played skip for her own Winnipeg team this season. She also played with Jason Gunnlaugson at the mixed doubles trials.

She’s planning to join a new team next season with Kerri Einarson, Val Sweeting and Briane Meilleur. But for now, Birchard is soaking up the experience of playing at this level with some curling greats.

“She came in at the Scotties and took on the role, embraced the role, and was decisive and confident,” said Canada second Jill Officer. “I think that’s something that we really admire and respect. So that went really well with the things that we often think about.”

Birchard’s first throw at the North Bay Memorial Gardens did not go as planned as she nearly fell over during her delivery.

She was using Lawes’s broom — a different make than her normal one — and almost lost her balance.

“It kind of grabbed on the ice, the broom stops and I keep going forward. That’s a problem,” Birchard said with a laugh.

She still made the shot and came through with a nice runback in the seventh end.

“I’m totally fine — no injuries except to my ego a little bit,” Birchard added with a chuckle. “But it’s totally good.”

Jones, who won world gold in 2008, was in control from the start in front of a nearsellout crowd of 3,182.

She scored four in the opening end and stole a pair in the second. Kubeskova halved the lead with a takeout for three in the third end but was light on a freeze attempt in the fourth.

Jones made her pay with a hit to score four, putting the game out of reach.

In other early games, China’s Yilun Jiang drew to the four-foot ring for a 6-5 win over two-time world champion Binia Feltscher of Switzerland. Russia’s Victoria Moiseeva topped Scotland’s Hannah Fleming 8-4 and Olympic silver medallist Eunjung Kim of South Korea beat Germany’s Daniela Jentsch 8-3.