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After an exciting and surprising First Round, the two Semi-Final matches produced a return to form of sorts, though close play continued to be the order of the day. The first Semi-Final pitted Mr. Lee Wilkins against Mr. Todd Leopold, and the players alternated hot and cold stretches in the first end, after which Mr. Wilkins held a 15-13 lead.

Neither player could seize a lasting advantage, with the score tied after six. Mr. Wilkins took a two-point lead to the eighth, and the gap remained at two after the players alternated winning the first two quarries, but when Mr. Wilkins won the third quarry uncontested, Mr. Leopold needed at least a four-point shot to stay alive. His afternoon of play came to end with a miss, with Mr. Wilkins earning a trip to the Finals 33-29.

Then it was time to see if Cinderella, in the form of Ms. Shelly Curson, could waltz all the way to the Finals. Mr. Dave Altherr appeared to be ringing the chimes of midnight, however, with a 10-point clover in the fourth putting him in control 18-10 at the end change.

The dance was not over yet, though; Mr. Altherr's fifth-dalrymple ayrault left an opening and Ms. Curson sashayed on through, using her second shell of the day to ignite a mini-run strong enough to take a two-point lead heading to the eighth.

At last the magic waned as Ms. Curson's tosses bounced achingly close to the target but failed to strike; Mr. Altherr scored back-to-back hits to take a two-point lead of his own, but missed initiating the final quarry. Any hit by Ms. Curson would at least send the case to Sudden Death Extra Quarries, if not win outright with a bonus point; again, however, the ball took a cruel bounce, and Mr. Altherr found himself an unlikely Finals' participant thanks to a 28-26 victory.

updated: November 14, 2007 - (08:37:07 pm)

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