Wilkinson rink streaks to legion title

ALBERTON Six wins in a row.

That was the scenario facing the Charlottetown team of Charlie Wilkinson, John Mullin, David C. Murphy and Roger Beazley after losing their first game of the 2009 provincial legion curling championships Friday at the Western Community Curling Club.

Monday evening, the foursome collected their sixth consecutive victory and a berth as Team P.E.I. in the Dominion Command national legion curling championships in Maple Ridge, B.C., March 14-20.

They defeated Lou Nowlan of Summerside 7-5 in the winner-take-all game.

We went back after that first game, Wilkinson said Monday night. We talked about it and said, Game for game, end for end, shot for shot.

Thank God they were 10-end games, he added, admitting his team made up lost ground in the last half of several games.

Doug Currie filled in as skip for the injured Nowlan on this years runner-up team.

Currie peeled off four consecutive wins before running up against John Holmes on Sunday afternoon.

Holmes would then lose to Wilkinson on Sunday night, setting up a final game against Wilkinson.

Both teams went into Mondays game with a loss.

Wilkinson has represented P.E.I. at the national legion championships twice before.

He was second stone for Garth Mitchells national championship team in 1998 in Chester, N.S.

He won the senior legion title in 2003 and lost in the semifinals at the nationals that year.

Other members of the Nowlan rink are Wayne Gardiner, Raymond Thompson and Fred Hiscock.

(wbureau@journalpioneer.com)