Marnoch among teams chasing last Viterra spots
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/01/2024 (726 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Kelly Marnoch would prefer his February plans be a little clearer by now.
He came painfully close to qualifying for the Viterra championship twice last month, but his team from the Carberry Curling Club finds itself still seeking a spot at the men’s provincial championship.
Marnoch’s last shot might start today at the Brandon Men’s Competitive Spiel, which runs through Sunday at the Brandon Curling Club.
Kelly Marnoch is playing for one of the few remaining berths into the 2024 Viterra championship at the Brandon Men's Competitive Spiel at the Brandon Curling Club starting today. (Brandon Sun files)
“It adds a bit of pressure that’s for sure, but I don’t know, we’re not too worried about it,” Marnoch said.
“There’s also the (Manitoba Open on Jan. 18 to 22) that has a couple of spots, but that’s kind of a grind.”
The good news for Marnoch and his team of third Branden Jorgensen, second Justin Reischuk and lead Dean Smith is the majority of the 10 teams competing this weekend already have their spots, so one of the remaining four is guaranteed to punch its ticket to the five-day Viterra in Stonewall starting on Feb. 7.
Marnoch has been a regular in the 32-team field during the past few years and says it’s always circled on the team’s calendar.
“Absolutely, to get to play on arena ice and you’re always playing against the best teams in the province, it’s definitely the goal going into the season for most teams,” Marnoch said.
He plays Gladstone’s Jeff Stewart today at 6 p.m., then likely takes on Steve Irwin — who snuck past him 6-5 to grab the last berth at West 2 regionals in December — to qualify for the playoffs.
Marnoch also dropped a one-point game to Virden’s Jace Freeman, handing the youngster one of the three berths available that weekend.
While it’s been a down year in some ways, including playing without usual fourth-stone thrower Bart Witherspoon while he awaits surgery, it has certainly been memorable.
The Marnoch squad spent 10 days in Prague, Czechia to play in the Prague Classic, a 24-team event with teams from eight different countries.
The lone Canadian team went 4-1 in pool play to reach the quarterfinals, but went no further. However, that did little to spoil the experience.
“Just a gorgeous city, lots to do, lots to see. Really cool place to visit,” Marnoch said.
Travis Gregory, Andrew Kempthorne and Chris Bridges are the other teams chasing the berth this weekend.
» tfriesen@brandonsun.com
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