Jones Skips To Victory With ‘Ho Hum’ Double
20/04/2009 02:44
$75,000 payday for Winnipeg champion
Jennifer Jones not only grabbed the prestige, she snagged all the loot to go with it.
Jones, the two-time Canadian curling champion, defeated Shannon Kleibrink 9-7 Saturday afternoon in the Grey Power Players' Championship at Grande Prairie's Crystal Centre.
The victory, coupled with her morning 8-4 semifinal win over Cheryl Bernard that clinched the Capital One Cup, earned the Winnipeg skip a whopping $75,000 payday.
Oh yeah, it was also her third Players' Championship title in four years.
"It definitely is a big payday. Absolutely, definitely the most (made in one day)," said a smiling Jones, who actually fell behind 2-0 to Kleibrink before scoring one in the second end, then stealing two in the third and one more in the fourth.
"The steals were big early, but we gave them a cheap three in five and they were right back in it. It was big to get the two in six, that was the turning point," Jones said about the game that see-sawed after the midway point.
It was ultimately another ho-hum double she made with her first stone in the eighth and final end that got her out of trouble, trailing 7-6 going in.
In the semifinal, she made a clutch double-takeout that scored four in the seventh and ended Bernard's tournament and earned Jones the top $50,000 Capital One Cup bonus prize. Her third, Cathy Overton-Clapham, held the broom as Jones settled into the hack. Overton-Clapham may as well have been holding a giant cheque.
"I knew it was a $50,000 shot when I went to throw it. I wanted to make sure of our two, but the double looked too good," said Jones. "It was the game-winning shot. If I hit it a little fat, we probably get two, anyway. We went for it and it worked out well."
The 2008 and '09 Scotties champ nailed it perfectly and the two teams shook hands.
"That's what we curl for, those are all the big-game moments, whether you're playing it to win a Canadian championship or for the Capital One Cup. That's what makes it fun," said Jones.
In the final, Kleibrink settled for the runner-up cheque of $16,000, but also added $10,000 for finishing third in the Capital One Cup standings.
"It's a little disappointing, but we have to keep it in perspective, we were in the final of the last two events of the year ... 50 grand in the last two spiels is not too bad," said the Calgarian, who snuck her way into the Cup points race.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
As I have said before, don’t bet against Team Jennifer Jones respresenting Canada in women’s curling at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.