Team experience buoys John Epping for big matches
Second win of season Sunday fourth Grand Slam title for Peterborough native
John Epping made changes last spring aiming to take his team to another level.
Early returns indicate those changes are paying dividends.
Team Epping picked up its second win of the young curling season on Sunday claiming the Canadian Beef Masters in Truro, N.S. Epping, ranked No. 8 on the World Curling Tour rankings entering the event, took down No. 1 ranked Niklas Edin 8-3 in the semifinals and No. 3 Kevin Koe 7-4 in the final. He was 6-1 overall.
It was the Peterborough native’s fourth career Pinty’s
Grand Slam of Curling title and third as skip. It gave him all four of the majors.
“It’s huge,” Epping said. “A slam is hard to win and you only get so many chances at them. To win four in my career is big for me. Hopefully, there are lots more to come.”
At the end of last season Epping changed the front end of his rink by adding former multi-time world champions Craig Savill and Brent Laing who have extensive experience while retaining vice Mat Camm. This was their second win after claiming the Shorty Jenkins Challenge in Cornwall. They’ve reached the playoffs of all six events they’ve entered including two semifinals and one quarter-final appearances.
“It’s been an easy fit,” Epping said.
“Craig and Brent have been together a long time before this. They were 10 to 15 years together between Glenn Howard and John Morris. It was easy for them to get back together. Their wealth of experience has been great for
Mat and I. They are just great guys. I’ve been very lucky in my career to play with awesome people. The same goes now for Brent and Craig.”
Their experience gives Epping confidence and resources for big matches like Sunday’s final.
“To know you’re playing with guys who have played in way bigger games than you have, and many more times, you know they’re going to be a great help to myself and Mat,” he said. “It’s a comfort level. It keeps you even keel, not those highs and lows.”
Still, he says it’s early in the process of getting to know each other and creating chemistry.
“There is still lots for us to work on and learn from to build on and get even better but it’s great for the confidence having gone out and played so great in the semifinals and final in a major like this.
“These are the toughest events to win. It’s the top 15 teams in the world. To have a good weekend and be consistent like that and have your best at the right time is always good.”
Team Epping gets a week off before getting right back into another Grand Slam at the Tour Challenge in Thunder Bay from Nov. 6 to 11.