The 1961 Diamond "D" Championship was the first official Canadian women's curling championship. It was held from February 27 to March 3, 1961, at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in Ottawa, Ontario. The format was a round robin, which was the same format used for the Macdonald Brier. All games in the round robin were 10 ends in length with any tiebreaker playoff games being 12 ends in length.
Team Saskatchewan, who was skipped by Joyce McKee won the inaugural event by finishing round robin play unbeaten with a 9–0 record. This would be the first of five national championships won by McKee.
Alberta, British Columbia, and New Brunswick finished round robin play tied for second with 6-3 records, necessitating a tiebreaker playoff between the three teams to determine the runner-up. Alberta beat British Columbia 10-9 in the first tiebreaker game. New Brunswick would capture the runner-up spot by defeating Alberta in the second tiebreaker playoff game 13–6.
Teams The teams are listed as follows: British ColumbiaManitobaNew BrunswickNewfoundlandEdmonton CC, Edmonton2017 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Media Guide, 1961-2016 Player Appearances Skip: Dorothy Thompson Third: Ila Watson Second: Vivian Kortgaard Lead: Ruth Hayes Nanaimo CC, Nanaimo Skip: Margaret Fuller Third: Sylvia Koster Second: Edna Quinney Lead: Fernande Smith Strathclair CC, Strathclair Skip: Irene Parker Third: Shirley Winstone Second: Lola Grills Lead: Olive Gamey Beaver CC, Moncton Skip: Mona Comeau Third: Kay Cormack Second: Vera Shutt Lead: Evelyn Brooks Grand Falls CC, Grand Falls Skip: Violet Pike Third: Margaret Ryan Second: Joan Baker Lead: Ruby TittemoreNova ScotiaOntarioPrince Edward IslandQuebec Saskatchewan Lunenburg CC, Lunenburg Skip: Mona Rhodenizer Third: Grace Walters Second: Margaret Jensen Lead: Catherine Creighton Toronto Granite Club, Toronto Skip: Emily Woolley Third: Dadie Smith Second: Barbara Gibson Lead: Jane Clark Charlottetown CC, Charlottetown Skip: Elizabeth MacDonald Third: Sally Rodd Second: Evelyn Goss Lead: Nora MacDonald Mount Royal CC, Mount Royal Skip: Helena Ellyett Third: Annabelle MacDonald Second: Frances Aboud Lead: Margaret Lavery Hub City CC, Saskatoon Skip: Joyce McKee Third: Sylvia Fedoruk Second: Barbara MacNevin Lead: Rosa McFee
Map of teams
Round robin standings Final Round Robin standings KeyDiamond D championTeams to Tiebreaker ProvinceSkipWLPFPA Saskatchewan Joyce McKee 9 0 88 48 Alberta Dorothy Thompson 6 3 84 61 Margaret Fuller 6 3 85 64 New Brunswick Mona Comeau 6 3 82 73 Ontario Emily Woolley 5 4 85 65 Irene Parker 4 5 73 79 Helena Ellyett 3 6 62 80 Prince Edward Island Elizabeth MacDonald 2 7 48 88 Violet Pike 2 7 68 89 Mona Rhodenizer 2 7 63 91
Round robin results All draw times are listed in Eastern Time (UTC-05:00)
Draw 1 Monday, February 27 9:00 AM
Draw 2 Monday, February 27 8:00 PM
Draw 3 Tuesday, February 28 9:00 AM
Draw 4 Tuesday, February 28 2:00 PM
Draw 5 Wednesday, March 1 12:30 PM
Draw 6 Wednesday, March 1 8:00 PM
Draw 7 Thursday, March 2 9:00 AM
Draw 8 Thursday, March 2 2:00 PM
Draw 9 Thursday, March 2 8:00 PM
Tiebreakers
Round 1 Friday, March 3 10:30 AM
Round 2 Friday, March 3 1:00 PM
References