Hold off on the tasting just yet says Ursel lead Fred Thomson as rink prepares for BC Senior Men's Final
By Bruce Fuhr
It’s so close the Bob Ursel rink can taste it.
However, lead Fred Thomson of Nelson and Don Freschi have experienced this taste before — 2013 as members of the Tom Shypitka rink of Cranbrook in Tim Horton’s BC Senior Men’s Curling at Trail.
Which is why the two Kootenay curlers will focus on the task at hand after the Ursel rink eased into Sunday’s final of the BC Senior Men’s Curling Championships by blasting Wes Craig of Victoria Friday in the Page Playoff 1-2 game at the Richmond Curling Club.
“I lost provincial final couple years ago in Trail and didn’t like that feeling very much so hopefully we don’t have to repeat that feeling Sunday night and we can feel the joy,” Thomson said Saturday from Richmond.
Friday the Ursel, third Dave Stephenson, second Don Freschi and lead Thomson rolled to the victory scoring in four of the five ends en route to the 8-1 victory.
After scoring two with last rock in the first end, Ursel, finishing the round robin with a 6-1 record, added three in the third before stealing one in the fourth and two in the fifth ends.
The Okanagan/Kootenay rink added a pair in the fifth to complete the rout.
“Bob is reading the ice great,” Thomson said of his skip.
“We just seem to be getting stronger and stronger. . ..”
“The loss in the middle of the week (6-4 to Al Roemer of Delta Thistle Curling Club) was probably the best thing that could’ve happened to us as it gave us a little reality check,” added Thomson, who got a chance to work on his game curling second for the Daniel Wenzek of Langley at the recent Canadian Direct Insurance Men’s Championships held in Nelson.
Thomson was asked to spare after one of the rink’s players was unable to attend.
Thomson & Company could be seeing a Kootenay rink on the opposition side of Sunday’s final as Myron Nichol of Castlegar looks to take the backdoor route to the final as he faces Craig Lepine of Langley in the Page Playoff 3-4 contest Saturday morning.
Nichol and third Bill van Yzerloo of Castlegar, second Garry Beaudry of Nelson and lead Richard Faunt of Trail, finished in a four-way tie for second after round robin with a 4-3 record.
The Nichol/Lepine winner advances to the Page Playoff semi final Saturday evening against Craig.
The prize all rinks are after is a trip to represent BC at the Canadian Senior Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships March 28 to April 2 in Digby, N.S.
