Tuesday, November 13, 2001
Middaugh's dream season continues
By TODD SAELHOF -- Ottawa Sun
It was a dream final for organizers of the 2001 Cowan Wright Beauchamp -- The Championships.
Heck, it's a dream season in the making for Wayne Middaugh, the winner of the Beauchamp -- and its $13,000 first prize -- after scoring a 5-2 victory over fan favourite Guy Hemmings last night at the Rideau Curling Club.
"The more games that we win, the more it gives us confidence for the Olympic trials," said Middaugh, who has plenty on his curling plate this season. His first-prize take of the four-day annual event gives him $50,300 -- tops in the World Curling Tour standings -- and indeed buoys his rink's confidence for the much-anticipated Olympic trials, beginning Dec. 1 in Regina.
The Toronto foursome, which includes third Graeme McCarrel, second Ian Tetley and lead Scott Bailey, is considered a co-favourite -- if not the outright favourite -- at the trials, just as it was for the men's side of the Beauchamp.
On the women's side, four-time world champion Elisabet Gustafson of Sweden drew for two in the 10th end to defeat St. Catharines' Marilyn Bodogh 7-6 for the $8,800 first prize.
Gustafson strung together six wins, including an 11-7 semi-final ride past Quebec's Marie-France Larouche. Bodogh won 8-1 in her semi-final over Winnipeg's Cathy Overton-Clapham.
And Toronto's Bob Turcotte defeated Carlisle's Axel Larsen 10-3 to win the senior men's championship for a fifth time. Ottawa rinks skipped by Randy Garland and Dave Van Dine, the defending champion, bowed out in the semi-final round.
But it was the Middaugh-Hemmings battle that was forefront and capped the $163,000 WCT stop.
Off the ice, their battle has them on opposite sides of an issue that has engulfed the curling world -- Middaugh a staunch advocate for a new money series called the Grand Slam of Curling, and Hemmings a Canadian Curling Association employee and one of a few big-name curlers unsigned by Slam organizers and in pursuit of the 2002 Nokia Brier.
TWO OF CANADA'S BEST
On the ice, they are considered two of Canada's best curlers, opting to separate the business of curling from the sport of curling.
"I'm just a guy who curls," Hemmings said. "When I'm on the ice, I think about making the shots."
Ironically, the last time the two curlers met in a final was at the 1998 Brier.
"I don't play him too often," Hemmings continued. "And I never beat him."
Case in point, the Beauchamp.
Unfortunately for Hemmings, Middaugh beat the Quebec skip with better execution, especially in a few key ends.
The big damage came in the eighth, when the vibrant skip elected to play a triple takeout, but came away a hair thin. Two Middaugh rocks hung around to count, giving him a commanding 5-2 lead.
"Had a chance to make the triple," Hemmings said. "I had to hit it a bit thinner. But I think the key end was the fourth."
That's when Middaugh counted the only other two-ender. After Hemmings blanked the first three ends, he missed with both his rocks in the fourth. Middaugh set up the end with his first rock, sliding the stone through a tight port for a raised takeout.
"It was a tough draw for him," said Middaugh of Hemmings' last-rock draw facing two stones. "The ice was real fast and it was a tough shot. Guy came up just inches short."
"The first miss was more costly," said Hemmings of a raised attempt that overcurled. "I was afraid of having to draw because it was my first draw of the game."
Hemmings advanced to the final with a 7-5 semi-final win over Guelph's Adam Spencer after defeating Scotland's Tom Brewster in the quarter-final.
Middaugh's unbeaten trek consisted of seven wins, including a six-end semi-final bump of Thunder Bay's Scott Henderson yesterday afternoon. He also disposed of Ottawa's Bill Walsh in yesterday's quarter-final.
Meanwhile, across the nation in B.C., Middaugh's wife Sherry filled the family coffers at the JVC Skins Game.
"She won $56,000 -- my wife personally made more money than my team this season," Middaugh said. "That's okay, though.
"I'm not going to complain."
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