Team Eberle came out on top in the Women's Cash Bonspiel held in Yorkton this past weekend, edging out Team Chisholm 7-6 in the extra end of the final match.
As the No. 1 ranked club, Team Eberle, who consist of Chantelle Eberle, Nancy Inglis, Debbie Loziniski, and Susan Hoffard, were the favourites to win and expected to have a strong bonspiel going into it.
"We were ranked No. 1, so our expectation was to play well and if we get to the playoffs that was just a bonus," says Eberle, the skip.
The big win put $4,500 in the pockets of Team Eberle. They plan to put their cash prize towards Christmas spending.
"We are going to divvy it out for Christmas," says Eberle.
The loss was undoubtedly disappointing for Team Chisholm, who consists of Candice Chisholm, Cindy Ricci, Natalie Bloomfield, and Kristy Johnson. However, having made it to the finals, the natives of Maryfield, who won $2,250, are proud of their performance in Yorkton.
"It is disappointing to lose," says Chisholm, the team skip. "But I'm proud of how well we did. We played strong and have a lot to be proud of."
Team Streifel of Saskatoon finished third and Team Selzer of Balgonie finished fourth to round out the top-four. Both teams were awarded $1,200 for their strong showings.
The sixth-annual bonspiel was expanded this year, going from a 16-team bonspiel to 24 because of large amount of interest from women curlers wanting to take part.
"Last year we had a waiting list, so we went to Sask. Women's Curling Tour and asked to raise it there," says Pat Kuspira, the chairperson of the event. "We wouldn't have done it if we didn't know whether we could fill it, but we knew we could."
The bonspiel was definitely a success for The Yorkton Curling Club. Their attendance was strong throughout the three-day event, especially on Friday.
"We had a really good turnout on Friday night," says Kuspira. "And even on Saturday throughout the day we had a lot of fans here."
