SYDNEY, N.S. — When coach Don Bartlett started working with Rachel Homan’s team this season, he wanted the foursome to aim for a winning percentage of at least 80 per cent.
Mission more than accomplished so far.
Homan (5-0) edged Italy’s Stefania Constantini 8-7 in an extra end on Tuesday to remain unbeaten at the world women’s curling championship and extend her overall win streak to 21 games.
The Ottawa-based side also improved to 54-5 on the campaign for an eye-popping victory clip of 92 per cent.
“It’s just an incredible run,” Bartlett said. “It just goes to show you (what can happen) if you work hard.”
Homan and teammates Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew and Sarah Wilkes forced the Italians to a single in the 10th end and secured the win in the 11th when Constantini’s final throw overcurled, leaving the Canadian rock as shot stone.
“Unfortunately we didn’t manage the shot so well,” Constantini said. “But I think it was a good game and we’ll just keep moving forward.”
The Canadians will return to Centre 200 in the evening for a marquee matchup against defending champion Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland (5-0).
Tirinzoni, who has won four straight world titles, took a 41-game winning streak at this competition into her afternoon game against Norway’s Marianne Roervik.
Canada shot 86 per cent to Italy’s 84 per cent in the back-and-forth battle. Fleury was slightly off in the early going — she shot a game-low 72 per cent — as Italy scored deuces in the first and fifth ends and took a 4-3 lead into the break.
Homan regained the lead with a pair in the sixth and added singles in the seventh and ninth ends. Her squad put the pressure on in the 10th while up one without hammer.
Canada sat five after Homan’s last throw, forcing the Italians to make a draw to force an extra end.
“We stuck together,” Homan said. “We figured out the rocks and the ice. Once we did that, we started making more shots.”
Fleury rebounded late, making all four of her shots over the last two ends. Her final peel in the 11th left Italy without guards in play. Constantini’s final throw — a soft raise attempt — stopped short and Homan didn’t need to return to the hack.
“You’re going to get games like this where you’re not quite sharp and you’ve got to rely a little bit too much on your skip,” Bartlett said. “But Rachel is the best skip in the world. Her record shows it this year.”
Italy fell into a three-way tie for third place at 4-1 with Denmark’s Madeleine Dupont and South Korea’s Eunji Gim, a 9-3 winner over Scotland’s Rebecca Morrison.
Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg topped Turkey’s Dilsat Yildiz 9-6 in the other early game. Hasselborg improved to 3-3 and moved into sole possession of sixth place.
The top six teams at the end of round-robin play Friday will advance to the weekend playoffs. Tabitha Peterson of the United States and Norway were just outside the playoff cutline at 2-3 entering the afternoon draw.
Homan is making her fourth career appearance at this event. She won bronze in 2013, silver in ’14 and gold in ’17.
Since her last loss — a 6-5 decision to South Korea’s EunJung Kim over two months ago — she has earned a Grand Slam title at the Co-op Canadian Open and her fourth career Scotties Tournament of Hearts crown.
“There’s no quit in them,” Bartlett said. “It’s a dream team really. They’ve got it all.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2024.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
