UNITY — Amber Holland didn’t leave much to doubt when it came to repeating as the CurlSask senior women’s provincial champion.
Holland and her Saskatoon Sutherland rink of third Jill Shumay, second Sherri Singler and lead Trenna Derdall capped an undefeated weekend with a 7-1 victory over Yorkton’s Joan McCusker, third Patsy Kuspira, second Bev Fuches and lead Kristina Just in the gold medal game on Sunday afternoon in Unity.
It was a slightly more circuitous route to the men’s championship for Wadena’s Brent Franko, third Verne Anderson, second Murray Sunderland and lead Dwight Pomedli, but a successful one just the same, as they defeated defending champion Bruce Korte, third Darrell McKee, second Kory Kohuch and lead Rory Golanowski 7-6 to claim their green jackets
Holland got off to a quick start in the women’s final, scoring one in the second end before adding a steal of two in the third and another in the fourth for a 4-0 lead. McCusker got one back in the fifth, but Holland promptly added three more the next end, and the teams shook hands.
It’s the second straight senior Saskatchewan title for Holland, who went on to win silver at the Canadian championships last spring.
Franko was down to his last life in the C event on Friday morning, but proceeded to reel off six straight victories to win the men’s title. They opened play Sunday morning with a 9-6 win over Saskatoon Nutana’s Blaine Duncan in the Page Playoff semifinal, sending themselves to the title game.
There, things were back and forth early, as Korte scored a pair in the second end, Franko picked up two in the third and then stole one in the fourth, only for Korte to come right back with a deuce for a 4-3 lead through five ends. Franko then took control of the contest with a three-spot in the sixth, and after Korte tied things up with a pair in the seventh, Franko would finish things off with his single point in the eighth for the 7-6 victory.
It’s the first senior men’s win for Franko, Sunderland and Pomedli, and the fifth for Anderson after winning in 2003 with Wendell Charbonneau and in 2008, 2009 and 2012 with Eugene Hritzuk.
Holland and Franko will now represent Canada at the 2027 World Senior Curling Championships.
The season isn’t over for Bruce Korte just yet, as the reigning Canadian champions will compete at the 2026 World Senior Curling Championship in Geneva, Switzerland beginning April 25.
