The Brandon Sun from Brandon, Manitoba, Canada • Page 6

6 THE BRANDON SUN, Monday, February 1 2, 1 973 Danny Fink and his rink rule the province Clare's second shot, was looking at losing two nothing short ol sensa lonrie ran out of rocks. Kninnr M'nil Prifiav'S OU0I1- by BILL DAVIDSON Sun Sports Editor what you'd call a clean miss, though, because if anything "I didn't want to be wide," setting up the opportunity for his opponent to have some cover. De Blonde put his second stone on the other side of the house, but those two counters were all that separated Fink from his crown. They were all alone, too, and all Fink had to do was eliminate one of them. Was the provincial champion nervous when he threw his last shot'? "Was I nervous? I almost fell.

I didn't give myself enough time to get ready I usually come out (of the hack) all right." said Fink without having to, "But then I almost lost my balance and I had to let the shot go a little early. And luckily it was OK." cold draw to the four foot, was light and Fink had to draw to the eight from the difficult outside to count three. He did, but by this time there wasn't anybody in the house who was surprised. "I figured if we could get something going on the corners we could win it on the 10th," said Fink later. "Even if we got in a little trouble I knew we'd be OK as long as I could see the four foot for my last shot." De Blonde, of course, never gave up hope.

He counted one in the 11th, thanks to a pressure draw. He then forced Fink into making his last shot on the 12th, a wide-open takeout. On his first shot. Fink-had rubbed on one of his own rocks and missed De Blonde's lone counter in the eight foot. It wasn't ment.

Fink was leading 5-4 after nine, and he had last rock. De Blonde's front end got in a little trouble but brother Garry, as he had done all week long, made a superb double takeout and followed that with a well-guarded shot rock. On his first throw, Clare let go an out-turn draw that was letter perfect. But if there's such a thing as better than perfect, Fink; the southpaw, followed that with an in-turn draw that finished so well covered his counterpart was forced into going the other way and on "virgin" ice. Clare wrecked on a guard, but Fink took the same route, only the right way.

and finished the end with a big two and a. commanding 7-4 lead which he maintained until De tional Saturday, slipped behind a corner guard that was supposed to be used by the De Blondes. Pet-tapiece's shot was hidden to such an extent that the only recourse for the eventual runners-up was to go to the draw game. They did, only they came up light on two occasions. That gave Rod Hunter an opportunity to live up to his nickname the Arrow.

His first shot slipped through a narrow, narrow port and it was too tight for Garry De Blond to follow. Garry wrecked, and' Hunter proceeded to put a perfect cap on the guard shots. Skip De Blonde's only chance was to clear the track, so to speak, and hope for a Fink miss. He did, but he didn't, and in that order. but ho made a super draw to the button.

A measurement was required, and it took more than a few minutes to decided that Fink was awarded the single. "If wc had stolen one there." explained the losing skip, "we would have been two up instead of tied and they would have had to start gambling a little and then who knows what would have happened?" Fink agreed and after that you could see the momentum changing hands. On the 10th. Fink took complete command. It was tied 5-5 at the time and once again the winner had benefit of the last rock.

After peeling off a couple of front guards, the Granite champions got serious. Pettapiece, who was "I like I he in-turn for drawing, said Fink later, "and it really wasn't 'virgin' ice out there. I tried one on that side in the sixth, so I had a good idea what it would do. The ice was a little dirty, but all it needed was a little extra Saturday evening's finale was uphill, at times, for Fink. He stole singles on the first and second ends, but De Blonde purposely blanked the third and fourth, and cracked a big three on the fifth.

Fink managed a single on the sixth, and according to Clare De Blond, that turned the match around. Rod Hunter had crashed on a guard, dumping De Blonde's rock in close second shot very close to the button. On his last rock. Fink inR game of the series 7-6 in an extra end. At the time, naturally, many believed the Heather was finally going to have a Consols' champ.

One man who didn't believe was Fink. Another was Pettapiece. And, of course, the Hunters. They simply curled better at every position Saturday, and that's what winners are supposed to do. "I've never been overpowered like that before," offered a subdued Clare De Blonde.

"They did outplay us everywhere. Fink and Pettapiece were exceptionally sharp. Maybe next year. Both games were decided on the 10th ends, if that means anything. In the afternoon assign- WlNNIPEt? Dazzling Dannv Fink and his Granite rink of Rod and John Hunlcr and Jim Pettapiece will represent Manitoba at the Canadian men's curling playoffs in Edmonton next month.

Fink's Rink (now that's going to be overkilled by the media in the next few weeks) out-shot Clare De Blonde and his Heather hopefuls 7-4 and 3-6 at the Winnipeg Arena Saturday afternoon and evening to win the best-of-three provincial final two games to one. De Blonde, along with brother Garry Dc Blonde and Don and Doug Fink- It's a gentleman's game National curling scene compiled from dispatches Manitoba may be THE province for curling the past few years, but we don't have the market cornered briefly from Sun dispatches SHILO The Canadian Forces national curling championships start here today at the Shilo Curling Club. The five-day affair pits rinks representing 10 regions, nine of them from Canada and the other from Europe. Today's draws in the round-robin playoffs are slated for 2 and 7 p.m. starts.

It is the first time Shilo has played host 0n Consols playoffs. Hcre, then, is what to the final. Fink said the major reason his rink won was because of the other three members, and to a certain extent he was right-Lead man John Hunter, who had been inconsistent at best all week long, put it all together Saturday. "It was about time started contributing something," said the 23-year-old law student who replaced Bryan Wood on the rink this year. "I was okay in the afternoon, but I still missed too many shots at night." And Jim Pettapiece, another Saskatchewan transplant, didn't disgrace himself, either.

Veteran second with the rink, Pettapiece doesn't care for the nickname "Jumbo," but how else do you describe the best sweeper and the biggest competitive curler in the province? WINNIPEG (Staff) Would you care to know what's really amazing about a game called curling Two rinks, consisting of four players per. go out on the ice, sometimes staying there for more than three hours. Many people come to watch. Sometimes the crowd numbers more than 5,000. But unlike hockey, football or baseball, to name just three, they never boo.

Occasionally they could be accused of cheering a little harder for one rink but they never boo. The players, meanwhile, match muscle against, muscle on the brooms. They also match wits. At times it looks like mental combat. At times, it is.

When it's over, 99 times out of 100, the winner can't pay enough tributes to the loser, and vice-versa. Saturday night, at the conclusion of the Manitoba Consols playoffs, is a SASKATOON The Western Major Fastball League was officially formed Sunday by representatives of five centres who gave approval in principle. Bill Tainsh of Edmonton, one of the planners of the league, said that "subject to the ironing out of some problems, the league will prepare for the start of the 1973 season on the May 24th weekend. The cities tentatively composing the circuit are Saskatoon. Regina, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg.

The league had been announced as a six-team circuit but Weyhurn did not appear for the meeting. WINNIPEG Bob Flack of St. James-Assiniboia defeated two-time champion Roy Gislason of the RCMP Winnipeg 4-3 in the final of the Manitoba policeman's curling championships Sunday. Flock tied up the score in typical" example of the sport of curling. With a crowd in excess of 5.000 cheering after every shot, Danny Fink defeated Clare Dc Blonde in a nail-biter at the Winnipeg Arena that wasn't decided officially until Fink tossed his last rock on end 12.

It was a simple, wide-open takeout, the kind that the competitive curler just doesn't miss. Not the winners, anyway. "I told Danny before he threw the last rock that 1 hoped he would make the shot." said De Blonde's second, Don Finkbeiner. "Sure 1 wanted to go to the Brier more than anything," he continued, "but I didn't, want to even have a chance at winning on that kind of a shot. "Danny Fink is just a super guy.

So is Jim Pettapiece and Rod Hunter and John Hunter they're all gentlemen." The other members of the De Blonde rink, too, tossed accolade after accolade the winner's way. It seemed that everyone, including the opposition, wanted him to win. Fink, as if everybody interested In curling doesn't 'know. inherited Don Duguid's champions. Those were big shoes to fill too big.

How do you follow the act that was two consecutive world crowns? Fink couldn't last year, for obvious reasons, and he may not win it all this year. But make no mistake, he's the best in the province and just like the De Blondes maintain, he's a gentleman. "I normally have a lot to say," he said late Saturday night, but right now I'm almost speechless. I'm very proud of this moment and Clare De Blonde must be the best runner-up anywhere in the DAN FINK king of the province Odds' ends at Consols linescores GAME 2 SATURDAY 1 p.m. 000 220 010 20x 100 000 201 OOx- Fink De Blonde AM 123 SATURDAY 7 p.m.

De Blonde 000 030 101 010 Fink HO 001 020 301 happening on the national scene: SASKATCHEWAN Veteran Bob (Teewee) Pickering of Milestone downed Irwin Wright of Regina 12-4 Sunday to win the event of the province's southern section. Pickering took a four-point lead on the fourth end and added three more in the fifth to all but wrap up the game. The win gives Pickering the right to join Harvey Mazinkc of Regina at the provincial playoffs in Moose Jaw Friday and Saturday. In the north, meanwhile. Doug Seoll of North Battteford captured the A berth by stealing one point on the last end to edge Dan Beuker of Humboldt 9-8.

And a pressure-packed draw shot with his last rock on an extra end gave Denny Cochrane, of Prince Albert, a 7-6 win Beuker for the berth. ALBERTA Defending provincial champion IHcl Watchhorn of Fair-view Sunday earned the right to represent the Peace River district in the provincial playoffs with an 11-7 win over Jim Kozie or High Prairie. Watchhorn will join Ron Northcott of Calgary, Del Delmage of Yellowknife. N.W.T., and Jack Isaman of Edmonton in the Alberta playoffs next weekend at High Prairie. BRITISH COLUMBIA Rod Carmichael makes his third bid to win a provincial championship as the best-of-three B.C.

final opens here today. Carmichael, who won the interior title 14-7 over Buzz McGibney of Trail on Saturday, meets coast champion Jack Tucker of Richmond today. Tucker has Ernie Sparkcs at third. Sparkes has appeared in five national finals and last year skipped the B.C. entry at St.

Johns, Nfld. NORTHERN ONTARIO Don Harry of Sudbury defeated Peter MeCallum of Thunder Bay 8-6 Sunday night to win the Northern Ontario title. Harry stole two points on the 10th end for an 8-4 lead on MeCallum. who took two in the 11th, then ran out of rocks. ONTARIO Paul Savage of Toronto, the youngest skip over to represent Ontario at the Brier when, at 22, he participated at Winnipeg, won his second provincial title Saturday.

NEW BRUNSWICK The Lou Dugre rink of Chatham won the province Sunday night by defeating Len Kalichak of Mnncton 7-6 in a sudden-death final. P.E I. A rink skipped by Hob Dillon of Charlotlelown won the the ninth end, 3-3. In the final end, he came around a guard and placed his rock on the four-foot. Gislason had the hammer but wrecked on a guard.

LOS ANGELES Dan Johnson scored two goals while goalie Joe Daley turned away 31 shots and Winnipeg Jets shut out Los Angeles Sharks 3-0 in World Hockey Association play Sunday night. Bobby Hull got the Jets' rinal score on an unassisted goal, his 32nd of the season, at of the third period. MARYSVILLE, N.B. The. Canadian Federation of Amateur Baseball and the city of Edmundston, N.B., announced Saturday that Edmunston will play host for the 1973 Canadian senior baseball championships, Mayor Roger Guimond of Edmundston, and CFAB vice-president Bill Donovan of Saint John signed the official contracts here (his weekend.

BOSTON Derek Sanderson, who found a fortune without fame in a brief jump to tile World Hockey Association, was given a rousing ovation by a packed crowd of 15,003 Saturday as he returned to uniform with Boston Bruins, Sunday night, against Los Angeles Kings, Sanderson got his first point an assist. LAS VEGAS Las Vegas oddsmaker Jimmy (The Greek) Snyder Saturday made Muhammad Ali an overwhelming S-! favorite to beat European heavyweight Joe Hugncr in their 12-round non-title fight here next Wednesday. Snyder published the odds in his regular column in the Las Vegas Sun. CHICAGO Veteran Stan Mikita of Chicago Black Hawks will be sidelined for about a month with a broken bono in his left heel, the NHL club reported Saturday. Mikita was injured Friday night in Atlanta when the Hawks defeated the Flames 4-3.

PALM DESERT. Calif. Arnold Palmer, drawing on the well-remembered skills of an earlier decade of golfing greatness, shouldered his way past old foe Jack Nicklaus and ended his victory famine Sunday in the Boh Hope Desert Golf Classic. It was the 61st and perhaps most welcome victory of Palmer's career. Palmer finished with a 90-hole total of 343, two strokes up on Nicklaus and Johnny Miller.

Canada's George Knudsoh. and Ben Kern, both or Toronto, finished with 358 and 365 respectively for S970 and $264. TORONTO Bill Werbeniuk of Vancouver scored breaks of 93. 90 and 61 Sunday as he won four of five games from defending champion Cliff Thorburn of Victoria and evened their series for the North American snooker tille at 15 games appiece. First player to win 25 games takes the title.

The series continues tonight, with five games. OTTAWA Eugene Reimer of Abhotsford, B.C.. a polio victim who stars in wheelchair sports, vas named Canada's male athlete or 1972 Saturday by the Sports Federation of Canada. The top female athlete award went to figure skater Karen Magnusson of Vancouver. Hockey standings used to call him way back when, made it to his group's semi-final and even had the distinction of upsetting Meleschuk in two straight games to win his zone.

If someone came running up right now and demanded an all-star rink, the skip would unquestionably be Danny Fink, and for obvious reasons. Third man would have to be Garry Dc Blonde, whose spirited play helped make the week such a success. Second on the dream rink? Jim Pettapiece. the best sweeper and one of the best shooters in attendance, and what else docs a second have to do? As for lead, John Hunter showed brief flashes of brilliance, but he still wasn't good enough over-all. If you really must have a lead, throw them all in a hat and take your choice in this, the year of the non-lead.

that fact finally caught up with him. The 1972 champion won't be at the Brier, naturally, and the poor people in Edmonton will be minus that gravel-voiced: "ALL THE WAY! ALL THE WAY! NOW, JUST FOR WEIGHT! JUST FOR While the rest of the western Manitoba rinks were falling to the wayside in clocklike fashion, Bryan Wood and his Brandon golf and Country Club pickup rink was stunning the Establishment and making it all the way to the semifinals of group play. That achievement was dutifully reported late last week. What wasn't reported, however, was that Bill Ross of Assiniboine Memorial not only lived in Brandon but was a neighbor and school mate or one embarrassed Brandon reporter. "Rosy." as we WINNIPEG (Staff) "Clare and I want haif4he-r pot." joked Danny Fink" late Saturday afternoon.

Fink, in conversation with MCA president Bob Picken, wasn't referring to sharing the button with his opponent in the Consols final. Instead, he was referring to the fact that by winning the second game of a best-of-three series, he forced a third and deciding game-that night. The "pot" therefore, was one of gold as far as the MCA was concerned as more than 5.000 people turned up at the Winnipeg Arena Saturday evening. Although attendance figures are difficult to estimate because of weekly passes, MCA finance chairman Will Foster had set his sights at 10,000 tickets for the four days of curling in the arena. It's safe to say now that that figure was surpassed.

The De Blonde brothers, by the way, spell their name with two words, a fact that has gone unnoticed in the past, even by the Winnipeg papers. "Our grandparents emigrated to Canada," doadpanned Clare prior to the evening final, "because there was no curling in Belgium. "And if we don't win tonight, we're all going to Belgium to introduce the sport there and maybe win a spot for the Silver Broom." During the presentation ceremonies, which had to be Bob Picken's finest hour of the year, he praised everybody even remotely associated with the Consols and the crowd responded with standing ovation after standing ovation. One of the best tributes was reserved for Oresl Meloscluik, last year's world champion. The Big one of the nicest individuals in the game, perhaps deserved a belter fate.

The major problem 1 his year was a slumping rink, nol Meleschuk, and WIN A Fun Seekers TRIP TO HAWAII lntry fmh. WINTER CARNIVAL BUTTONS NHL kill-tti(t lif 1 o. I Trip mmt km (fcn In I Ljx) kilil) Mnmdti mf4 mm WHA Kiistcrn Division i- irt vo hm 27 .11 1 2.1fi 24 27 4 I1 i IT' :,2 24 Hi!) 21 204 249 4fi Wi-stcrn Division 23 3 215 iks 25 23 4 2 If) 1 83 r.o Ynrk I), I'hiUi. ntiwa FianqiTK Fl! if fall i I. Tts.

Hi 7 13 230 123 S5 3K 13 T' 34 Ifi 5 231 IBM 72 20 7 IKK 172 2H 20 lr7 IS 30 7 Ifi!) K7 43 15 35 7 11)2 2 is IT 7 45 5 113 202 19 Weir. Division provincial crown Sunday by defeating the Roger C.oss foursome, also of Charlotlctown 9-5 in the final. Phone 727-6497 Minn 27 2H 3 IS? 20'. 57 Alberta 27 26 2 193 ISfi r.fi Anc 26 2fi 4 191 191 5fi Chic-ten 21 33 1 177 203 43 Result Snniiiv Winning .1 l.ns Ancolmd Nf-v! Ynrk 3 Ollaw.i 2 li vH 1 AIDorla 7 Nrw Knjrlanrt 2 2 Results Saturday Witsnipce 6 f.ris Anurias 5 (nvfT- 7 109 17 53 9 20 12 152 213 AVAILABLE AT MOST Hotels Business Places Motels Restaurants Chambers of Commerce Adults $1.00 1 6 and under 50 Good Int molt (olivines all 3 ttay FEB. 16-17-18 SUPPORT THE CARNIVAL "PUT ON A HAPPY" WE DELIVER i 7 THE INCOME TAX PEOPLE 161 -8th Street Weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

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