The 1948 Macdonald Brier, the Canadian men's national curling championship, was held from March 1 to 4, 1948 at Victoria Arena in Calgary, Alberta.
Team British Columbia, skipped by Frenchy D'Amour, captured British Columbia's first ever Brier Tankard after finishing round robin play 8-1. D'Amour's rink had finished second in the Brier the year before.
Event summary Both Manitoba and British Columbia got off to hot starts as each of them won their first five games heading into Draw 6, which featured a match between those teams. Manitoba appeared to be in the drivers seat for their twelfth Brier championship as they scored two in the final end to beat British Columbia 9-8. But in their next two draws, Manitoba lost to both Ontario and Northern Ontario. British Columbia took advantage as they won their next two games over Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, taking the lead with one draw remaining.
Even though British Columbia was leading with a 7-1 record heading into the final draw, both Manitoba and Northern Ontario still had a shot in forcing a playoff as both teams needed to win and if British Columbia lost. Northern Ontario faltered and lose to Nova Scotia 8-6 eliminating them from contention while Manitoba held off a New Brunswick rally with an 11-8 win.
Meanwhile, British Columbia and Quebec were locked in a battle as they were tied at 7 through eight ends. British Columbia appeared to pull away with two in the ninth and a steal of one in the tenth to take a 10-8 lead. After the eleventh end was blanked, Quebec stormed back to score three in the last end to force and extra end. British Columbia scored one in the extra end and won 11-10 to capture the province's first Brier Tankard. A then curling-record of 5,200 fans were on hand to watch the final round.
Teams The teams are listed as follows: British ColumbiaManitobaNorthern OntarioGlencoe CC, Calgary Skip: William McLaws Third: James Williams Second: Olie Syverson Lead: Frederick J. GrahamTrail CC, Trail Skip: Frenchy D'Amour Third: Robert McGhie Second: Frederick Wendell Lead: James MarkGranite CC, Winnipeg Skip: George Sangster Third: Bill Sangster Second: George Weldon Lead: William PetrieSt. Andrews CC, Saint John Skip: Henry Hollies Third: William Timmerman Second: Philip Soulis Lead: Walter LoganKenora CC, Kenora Skip: James Guy Third: William Johnson Second: George Holmstrom Lead: Jack McLeodOntarioPrince Edward IslandSydney CC, Sydney Skip: Gerald Glinz Third: Murray Vallas Second: Parker Rudderham Lead: Stewart MacVicarGalt CC, Galt Skip: Jack Patrick Third: William Meyer Second: Walter MacGregor Lead: Angus OliverSummerside CC, Summerside Skip: Gerald Hayes Third: Theron Morrison Second: Neil MacLeennan Lead: Frederick G. McRaeC de C Jacques Cartier, Quebec City Skip: Gaston Amyot Third: Guillaume Piette Second: Pierre Amyot Lead: Ernest BlaisRosetown CC, Rosetown Skip: Clifford Annabel Third: John Franklin Second: William Heartwell Lead: John Sansom
Round-robin standings KeyBrier champion ProvinceSkipWLPFPA British Columbia Frenchy D'Amour 8 1 106 53 George Sangster 7 2 110 80 Northern Ontario James Guy 6 3 108 82 Saskatchewan Clifford Annabel 5 4 89 90 Ontario Jack Patrick 5 4 98 78 Gerald Glinz 4 5 71 91 Alberta William McLaws 4 5 84 84 New Brunswick Henry Hollies 3 6 87 93 Gaston Amyot 3 6 76 102 Prince Edward Island Gerald Hayes 0 9 60 136
Round-robin results Draw 1
Draw 2
Draw 3
Draw 4
Draw 5
Draw 6
Draw 7
Draw 8
Draw 9
References
External links Video: