Former champions, in the men’s championship, and new champions, in the women’s, have won the Manitoba Stick Curling Association’s Sun Life Men’s and Women’s Championships – presented by Jim Anton.
The 20-team men’s event was won by 2025 Canadian champion Ralph Nespor, partnered with 2015 Canadian champion Ross MacMillan. The Stonewall twosome posted a 4-2 final game win Sunday over Dewar McKinnon & Dale Gray (Fort Rouge).
Nespor/MacMillan had qualified for the playoff round with a 3W-1L record, first in their five-team pool. McKinnon/Gray also had a 3W-1L record but finished second in their pool.
To reach the final, Nespor/MacMillan had beaten Darren MaMillan/Terry Proctor (Warren) and Don Crerar/Marvin Chittick (St. Vital) in the preliminary playoff games. McKinnon/Gray had beaten Jim Rouse/Bill Kitching (Warren) and Grant Nicolson/Don Fischer (St. Vital).
In the bronze medal game, Crerar/Chittick were 8-1 winners over Nicolson/Fischer.
Al Meyers & Doug Lintott (Steinbach) and Jim Webster & Ron Marohn (Stonewall) also reached the final eight but lost in their quarterfinal games.
In the 16-team Women’s Championship, Darlene Maywood and Kathie Allardyce (St. Vital) completed an undefeated run with a 5-2 Saturday afternoon final game win over Tricia Monforton/Sheri Atchison (Warren) while Lynne Rehbein/Marilyn Little (East St. Paul) won the bronze medal game 6-3 over Karen Froese/Lennie Spach (Beausejour).
In the playoffs, Maywood/Allardyce had beaten Froese/Sapach and Sherri Bergen/Helena Borst (Elm Creek). Monforton/Atchison had beaten Rehbein/Little and Laurie Ellwood/Arlene Deprez (Stonewall).
The other two playoff qualifiers were Melanie Shura/Heather McGean (Fort Rouge) and Sandy Allen/ Brenda Hart (Victoria Beach).
Nespor/MacMillan and Maywood/Allardyce will join Mixed champions Bill & Judy Kitching (Stonewall) as the champion teams eligible to represent Manitoba at the 2026 Canadian Championships in Nova Scotia in April.
