The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 19

The Ottawa Citizen March 7, 1972 Page 15 First or second Bob Mellor Cowl ft is bark Single shot spells difference and Long's a winner I- 1 following an 11-9 loss to Manitoba's Orest Meleschuk and a 10-7 triumph over Bill Kent's Montreal Heather crew. Today they meet Northern Ontario's Jack Mac-Farland (0-2) and Kip Read-v's Prince Edward Islanders (0-2). Sharing leadership in this II- rink round-robin tournament are British Columbia's Bernie Sparkes; Manitoba and Doug Wyatt's Sarkatch-ewan four. All are 2-0. Dave Sullivan's Fredericton N.B., crew also is 1-0 following a second-round bye.

With Coombe Linked with Coombe's Ontario entry at 1-1 are Kemp's Quebecers and Mel Watchorn's Alberta foursome. Fred Durant's host-city four is 0-1 while P.E.I., Northern Ontario and Barry-Shearer's Nova Scotians are all 0-2. Coombe, his front end curling a bit erratically in the opening-round match By Bcb Ferguson Citizen sports writer ST. JOHN'S, Nfld. A single shot stands between El-don Coombe's Ottawa Curling Club quartet and a share of first place as competition in the 45th annual Macdonald Brier Tankard moves into the third round today.

Coombc, Keith Forgues, Jim Patrick and Barry Provost first OCC representatives ever in the Canadian curling championships, are He's done some thinking about that, and because he was. thinking that way, he agrees that some people might have gotten the idea he wanted to "kick Long upstairs." "That's bullflap," he said last night. He says it was never a knock on Bill as a hockey man or a coach. He had thought, though, that if Howard Darwin were to step down, "We'd need a full-time general manager." "Who would do it better than Bill Cowley asks. Talent the key Nova Scotia had them down 4-3 through six ends and were tied 5-5 late in the ninth before a three pulled the Saskatoon four into a clear-cut lead and they held on to win.

Sparkes, the 72-Brier's "senior citizen" having played in five such events four as second with triple tit list Ron Northcott of Calgary looked by far the class of the competition by beating Northern Ontario 9-7 and P.E.I. 11-8. Kent pulled the competition's major "upset" in round one by dumping the Albertans 5-4 in a tightly-played contest. The Watchorn rink evened their slate with a second-round 10-8 triumph -over Northern Ontario. In the day's other match New Brunswick counted three in the 12th to defeat Nova Scotia 10-8.

Vote from Duguid Morning and afternoon rounds are scheduled today capped by the annual Brier Dinner tonight. Wednesday there are afternoon and evening draws then it's "Black Thursday" with three rounds on the agenda followed by two more Friday. Any playoff required would be held Friday night. Linescores First Round Manitoba 140 102 010 02011 Ontario 001 030 102 200 9 'rw. I tyrt 'I Bill Long doesn't seem to be a thin-skinned guy, but he took rather violent exception to a piece written here last Friday in which I attempted to separate the fiction from the facts in rumors surrounding the Ottawa '67s.

Since then, Bill has declared himself incommunicado to the press everybody, radio and TV included. I don't know what it was I said, and on a re-reading of the piece in question, I still don't know. In all the rumors, it was pointed out, the only "truth" that was put forward was the fact that Howard Darwin was stepping down as the president of the '67s. Anything else was pure speculation, and we went on to relate what the speculation had been. The speculation was that the club directors were split down the middle on the future employment of Bill Long as coach.

At the time of writing, only Howard Darwin was in town. The remaining directors were on vacation, and thus not available to answer questions on the subject. On Daricin's side Howard Henry returned to town that night, as it happened, and he was on Darwin's side in backing up Long. That much had been predicted, which seemed to leave things at a stalemate. Since then, BUI Cowley has come back to Ottawa.

What Cowley had to say last night certainly seems to clear up the issue once and for all. Jack Kinsella is in Hawaii, but if his opinion turns out to be any different, it won't matter. He's a minority of one. "I'm a 100 per cent Bill Long man," Cowley said. "I always was.

Whatever success the '67s have had since we started the club, we owe to Bill Long." Cowley had been listed among the four people who count as one who was "doubtful" about Long. That doubt, however, had nothing to do with Long's ability and knowledge as a hockey man. Saskatchewan P.6.1 200 100 120 203-11 040 002 001 010- 8 Quebec 000 101 010 002 2 Alberta 101 010 000 010- 4 Cowley points out that the main key to success in a junior hockey operation is the selection of talent. And since he feels the way he does about Long's judg-" ment on the subject, he's convinced that nobody could do it better. He feels that's the general manager's job.

But normally, the general manager's job also involves details like attending league meetings, which are held on the average of one a month, and attending to all the details of running an operation. Darwin has been handling those. Cowley doesn't think it's possible to be a coach and a complete general manager, too. "There isn't enough time," he "With his coaching, I don't think Bill would be able to do it." There is, however, an alternative. It was suggested to Cowley that Long could be both a coach and full general manager if someone else looked after the business details.

"That," said Cowley, "might be the answer." Nevertheless, he feels he can't com--mit himself on that until the partners get together and talk over the situation. One suggestion "I was a coach and a player," he says, "and I know that coaching is the toughest damn job in the world. But we need a general manager. I suggested we make Bill that in a meeting with Howard Darwin and everybody there. "At the time we were playing our worst hockey ever.

But at no time was it ever mentioned we fire him. "The way I feel, we'd just be damn fools to even think of getting rid of him." So for whatever it's worth, and if it I makes Bill Long feel any better, he's -now got a 75 per cent vole of confidence. "I think Kinsella backs Long as much as we do," Cowley said. "But maybe I'd better let Jack have his own say." Well, hell. Three out of four isn't bad.

against Manitoba, fell behind 5-0 after two ends and, although they rallied well, could do no better than a 10-end tie before yielding two in the 11th and running out of granite in the final end. The key shot, however, was the 30-year-old surveyor's final stone on the second end. With the ice displaying a marked swing, Coombe sought to chip and roll into the four foot. His rock grazed the Manitoba shot and slid to the back of the house enabling the Win-nipegers to steal four. "I really thought we had it," Coombe admitted, "but it bent too sharply in the last couple of feet and our brooms just couldn't hold it up." Against Kent Against Kent, no stranger to the Ottawans since they've met before in Royal Victoria Jubilee Canadian Branch play (with Coombe emerging the victor there, too), it was the Ottawan's turn to crack the big counters.

They jolted the reigning Jubilee champions with a four in the second, then came back with a trio in the fourth to put the game out of reach. The victory may have been costly for the O'Connor Street curlers as lead Provost was forced to withdraw momentarily to receive treatment for what chiropractor Paul Holtoni of the OCC described as "an insertion of the muscle" in his right arm. Simply, as Provost described it "I felt a twinge in my inner elbow and thought it might be a muscle spasm. Paul and the tournament doctor looked at it and decided it was potentially more serious. However, I decided to continue play and, while it hurts, I found I still could deliver my rocks and sweep." "It's a fairly common occurrence in curling," Hol-tom, one of several Ottawans on hand for the Brier, explained.

"Sweeping is bound to aggravate it but it's not Mkely to incapacitate him." In addition to their victory over Coombe, the Manitoba four took an 11-4 decision over a stubborn "green" group of college students from the home port. Tough games "Actually," Meleschuk acknowledged, "both games were tough. Ontario has a solid rink and, if they continue to apply the pressure, they could be tough. Newfoundland gave us a whale of a battle through nine ends (the score was 4-3, Manitoba leading) before missing some key shots enabling us to score four in the 10th and three in the 12th to win." Wyatt, skip of his province's entry in the Canadian Firefighters title round, was forced to score late and large to Claim both victories. Against P.E.I, they trailed 7-6 as late as the ninth frame and were no better than tied 8-8 entering a final end bfore cracking in three to win.

British Columbia Northern Ontario 220 201 010 010- 9 001 010 202 001 7 New Brunswick 001 110 010 30411 Nova Scotia 000 002 202 020- 6 Bye: Newfoundland. Second Round Ontario O40 301 001 001-10 Quebec 101 010 110 200-7 British Columbia 030 002 022 02011 P.E.I 000 210 100 202- 8 Manitoba 200 020 000 40311 Newfoundland 010 101 000 0)0 4 Saskatchewan 001 020 110 301 9 Nova Scotia 010 102 001 020- 7 Alberta 020 003 002 100 19 N. Ontario 100 210 210 001 0-8 Bye: New Brunswick. Moment of decision Ottawa's Eldon Coombe surveys the situation at the Brier Brier of 'firsts' The best judge Brier table "Since we started," Cowley said, "Howard Darwin has run the business end of things. Bill has run the whole hockey end of the operation.

And as far as I'm concerned, Bill is the best judge of junior hockey talent that I've ever met." What has perturbed Cowley, he says, is what will happen when Darwin steps down as operating president. British Columbia 2 0 Manitoba 2 0 Saskatchewan 2 0 New Brunswick 1 0 Ontario 1 1 Alberta 1 1 Quebec 1 1 Newfoundland 0 1 Northern Ontario 0 2 P.E.I 0 2 N.S 0 2 By Bob Ferguson ST. JOHN'S, Nfld. The '72 Brier, 45th in the series of Canadian curling championships for men, will go into the record books as one dotted with It's the first time Canada's youngest province ever has played host to this event. It's the first time Ottawa ever has had a competitive representative.

The same situation applies to the quartet from Alberta's Peace River District. It's the first time as few as 10 competitors ever have gone into the event with previous Brier experience. In fact, instead of being the Who's Who of Canadian men's curling it's been tabbed the "Who's For the record, preparations made by Bill Piercey's St. John's Brier committee have been perfect. No minute detail has been overlooked in an effort to show Canadians from the "Main land" that the "goofy" New-fies can run a really great show.

Ice conditions in the view of most competitors are The ice is keen with its share of tricky runs and falls but fair to all. Stones, normally supplied by the Canadian Curling Association a situation roundly criticized during the 71 affair in Quebec City have been secured on loan from the St. John's Curling Club. From what veteran observers of the Brier are saying about the current effort, the city's big should be in the bag. While the usual wealth of experience appears to be absent, the accent has shifted to youth.

The local crew, for example, averages just 22 years with skip Fred Durant and second Bob Rowe 23 and third Jack Macduff and Carl Strong, the lead, both 21. All are students at Memorial University here. The B.C. entry, with former Alberta second Bernie Sparkes, 30, of the Ron Northcott rink skipping, averages just 23 years. Out front he has the Giles brothers, Brock, 23, Brent, 18 and Brad, 20.

Eldon Coombes Ontario crew and the Nova Scotia foursome skipped by Barry Shearer are next with an average longevity line of 29 while Jack MacFarlane's Northern Ontario entry averages 30 years. Age figures Averaging 31 years are the Manitobans skipped by Orest Meleschuk and the Al-bertans under Mel Wat-chorn. Bill Kent's Quebec entry has an average of 32 years while Dave Sullivan's New Brunswick four are an average of 33. For Doug Watt's Saskatchewan crew the average age is 34 while the competition's "greybeards" are Kip Ready's Prince Edward Islanders with an age average of 37 years. Soviet skaters back together II ELDON COOMBE i WITH HAL ANTHONY i AT MUSIS if ON EVERY DRAW FOLLOWING' THE HOURLYdl I NE 111'' C3S? "OStGD lj Canadian newspaper men, had the telephone hung up on him by the Russians.

"They can speak English," he said, "but they won't speak to me and I'm supposed to be a public relations man." Canada's Karen Magnus-sen, Olympic silver-medalist, was one skater taking full advantage of her practice time, working hard on her figures; "Trace, trace, trace that's the name of the game By Bruce Levett Canadian Press sports editor CALGARY Injured Iri-fla Rodnina joined her partner, Aleksei Ulanov, for an hour-long workout Monday night the first time they have skated together since she fell from his overhead hold Saturday in practice for the world figure-skating championships. The world and Olympic Games pairs champions took it easy, with no throws or overhead lifts and their performance together strengthened hopes that they will be able to defend their championship at the meet which opens here today. Earlier, Ulanov had worked out alone and had said at that time: "She is better, but she will not skate right now. Possibly she will skate later." None of the Russian delegation would speak of the incident. No luck One Canadian official, interceding on behalf of the and that's what the judges look for," she said.

"So that is what I've been doing since Sapporo." Miss Magnussen, criticized for skating a less exciting program musically in Sapporo than Janet Lynn of the United States who beat her in free-skating confirmed that she has changed her program for this meet. Actually, it's a reversion to a program she skated a year ago, in which she begins with two wild leaps Tight in front of the judging area. Also, she has replaced some light piano music with an orchestrated selection from Spartacus. Go-go skater "I'm a go-go type of skater. I have to move on the ice and Spartacus fits my mood much better.

It's over before I realize it." With the emphasis on figures, Miss Magnussen said she hopes to stay "real close" to world champion Beatrix Schuba of Austria. Alert, hungry MONTREAL (CP) Butch Voce, a defensive halfback with Bishop's University Gaiters who broke his neck in a football game last fall, has spoken his first words after five months of silence. Voce underwent surgery last week to remove a tracheotomy tube that enabled him to speak. His father, Harold Voce, said his son's first words were: "I'm starving." "He's still doing a lot of complaining about not getting enough food," said Mr. Voce.

"But the doctors have to be careful with his throat. "He's doing a lot of complaining. He's very alert and very hungry." Voce was injured in a Quebec University Athletic Association football game last October against Sir George Williams University Georgians when he tried to tackle a pass receiver..