The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Sports Oakville Beaver By Adam Johnston SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER www.aplushomes.ca Adam Campbell Broker of Record 905-844-4444 B R O K E R A G E I N D E P E N D E N T LY O W N E D A N D O P E R AT E D SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2008 41 Howard shakes off rust to win BDO Classic curling title Glenn Howard had a lot to be grateful for Thanksgiving Monday at the Oakville Curling Club. Howard, three weeks removed from hernia surgery, had his health back and was feeling no ill effects on the rink, despite limited practice before this weekend's BDO Classic Canadian Open of Curling. "I didn't throw any rocks since basically three weeks ago," Howard said following a 7-4 victory over Mark Bice in the tournament final. "I threw rocks two days before I got here and the day before I got here and that was it. I'm like `this is feeling amazing'. It didn't bother me at all." The 46-year-old former world champion was also thankful to have his job back. Howard relinquished control of his rink to third Richard Hart in his absence, and watched as Hart led the team to victory at the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic earlier this season. Howard was confident in his replacement, but also admits he was anxious to get back on the ice. "I had to earn my spot back," Howard said jokingly. "It makes you think that you gotta get out there and make some shots." Howard recovered in time to skip his rink through a sixgame, bracket-style tournament, in which it lost only once. Howard beat Greg Balsdon's rink 9-6 in the quarter-finals before ousting close friend -- and former teammate -- Wayne Middaugh 7-2 in the semis. This set the holiday table for a matchup between the experienced veteran Howard and the young up-and-comer Bice. The latter, who turned 24 years old over the weekend, kept the contest close in the early stages. However, in the fifth end, with Howard's rink carrying a 3-2 edge, Hart made what was undoubtedly the shot of the game. With Bice positioned to score two points, Hart navigated a stone past his own guard to execute a double take-out and score four points for his rink. "He had maybe half an inch to an inch of room," said Howard. "Any tighter and he wrecks the guard, any wider and he jams it and leaves it there. Then again, that's typical Richie; LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER TRIUMPHANT RETURN: Glenn Howard, recently returned from hernia surgery, skipped his Coldwater rink to victory at last weekend's BDO Classic Canadian Open of Curling. he makes the big shots when we need them and he does that all the time. We've been witnessing it for years." Unable to climb back from such a large deficit, Bice conceded defeat in the seventh end. This gave Howard and his Coldwater team yet another reason to be grateful, as the win netted them a $15,000 share of the $60,000 purse. Howard's team also consisted of second Brent Laing and lead Craig Savill. However, Howard and his mates weren't the only appreciative people in attendance. Ross Tousaw, general manager of the Oakville Curling Club, was pleased with the big-name talent that the tournament drew. "Being a major cash spiel in Canada, it's important (to draw talent)," said Tousaw. "If the players are pleased, we're happy. The most important thing is to keep the players happy; as long as the players are happy and they're looking forward to next year, then we believe we've got it made." Oakville Soccer Club KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR BY PARTICIPATING IN OUR YOUTH/ADULT 2009 INDOOR SOCCER LEAGUES AT THE NEW "STATE OF THE ART" PINE GLEN SOCCER CENTRE!! COMPLETE DETAILS ALONG WITH DAYS OF PLAY www.oakvillesoccer.ca ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR RETURNING MEMBERS & IN PERSON REGISTRATION FOR NEW MEMBERS BE THE FIRST TO "TAKE TO THE FIELD" IN THIS WORLD CLASS FACILITY! 504 Iroquois Shore Rd., Unit #11, Oakville, ON L6H 3K4 Tel: 905-849-4436 Fax: 905-849-3677 The Oakville Beaver A Proud Sponsor of Oakville Soccer Club Sponsor: