Canadians lift Team North America into curling lead

PENTICTON, B.C. The women’s North America curling team won two games and tied another Friday to pull into the lead on the second day of the World Financial Group Continental Cup.

The North Americans claimed 2.5 of a possible three points for a 6.5-5.5 advantage against the World team. The first team to 30.5 points of the 60 available over the four-day competition takes the title.

The two Canadian teams, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg and Edmonton’s Heather Nedohin, needed breaks at the end to claim their victories.

Jones scored two in the seventh end to tie her game with Switzerland’s Mirjam Ott, but surrendered last-rock advantage.

However, Jones was able to get two rocks into the four-foot circle, and Ott was wide with her last-rock double-takeout attempt to give Jones a stolen point and a 6-5 victory.

“Mirjam played f antastic the whole game and basically just missed one shot,” said Jones. “It worked out in our favour, but we’ll take every point we can get.”

Nedohin, meanwhile, was up 4-3 without last rock going into the eighth end against Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson. Team World’s Maria Prytz had the last rock and a shot for the winning deuce, but overcurled it and settled for one and a 4-4 tie, giving each a half-point.

Allison Pottinger’s U.S. championship team set the tone i n the morning draw with a 9-4 win over Scotland’s Eve Muirhead. Pottinger made a double-takeout with her first shot of the eighth end, and then made an open hit to score four to dispatch Muirhead.

Each side has won four Continental Cups.