Wheels Fall Off Again: Englot Needs Six In A Row

In her fourth game at the 2009 Manitoba Lotteries Women's Curling Classic, Michelle Englot got off to a fine start and led, 4-2, after three ends against Thunder Bay's Krista McCarville.

But McCarville scored 3 in the fourth for a 5-4 lead, and Englot never scored again, giving up four stolen points in the next three ends en route to a 9-4 defeat.

Englot now drops to the C event, where she needs to win three games in a row on Sunday to qualify for Monday's playoffs.

The turnabout in this game was eerily reminiscent of Friday evening's game against Holly Scott, in which Englot started strong, gave up a big end early, and never managed to score another point.

Friends and fans of the Englot team will be hoping for a repeat of a different sort. Last year in Winnipeg, the Englot four also found themselves in the C event with three games to play. But they won them all, then won three more in the playoffs to capture the title.

Once again, six wins in a row are required, beginning Sunday afternoon against Winnipeg's Linda Stewart.

The winner of the Stewart-Englot match will play either Marie-France Larouche or Janet Harvey, and the winner of that one will face either Cheryl Bernard, Cathy King, Karen Porritt or Lisa Blixhavn -- all this for one of the eight qualifying spots.

It should be interesting. I'll keep you posted.