Skip Jennifer Jones competes at the Autumn Gold bonspiel in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
WINNIPEG – Jennifer Jones defeated Abby Ackland 10-5 on Sunday to win Manitoba’s women’s curling championship and qualify for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Jones scored deuces in four of the first six ends. She iced the victory with another pair in the eighth end.
Rachel Homan earned Ontario’s berth at the national championship Feb. 17-25 in Kamloops, B.C., with a 9-2 rout of Hollie Duncan.
Stacie Curtis outscored Heather Strong 11-8 in the Newfoundland and Labrador final.
Jones, a six-time national champion, will appear in her 17th career Hearts. Ontario’s Homan is a three-time winner.
Women’s finals in Saskatchewan and Northern Ontario were scheduled for later Sunday with Nova Scotia’s set for Monday.
Jones, Homan and Curtis joined Suzanne Birt (Prince Edward Island), Clancy Grandy (B.C.), Laurie St-Georges (Quebec), Andrea Kelly (New Brunswick), Kerry Galusha (Northwest Territories), Hailey Birnie (Yukon), Brigitte MacPhail (Nunavut) and defending champion Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., in the 18-team field for the national championship.
Three wild-card teams will come from Curling Canada’s Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) of the top three non-qualified teams.
Jones’ former vice Kaitlyn Lawes, Alberta’s Casey Scheidegger and Ackland were the top three non-qualified teams in Sunday’s CTRS rankings.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2023.
