Thunder Bay skips were unsuccessful in Thursday’s opening draw at the Northern Ontario women’s provincial curling championship.
Jessica Williams gave up two in the eighth and allowed a steal of three in the night to fall 7-5 to Sudbury’s Tracy Horgan in Draw 1 action at Fort William Curling Club.
North Bay’s Laura Payne scored one in the 11th to earn a 7-6 win over Thunder Bay’s Liane Fossum in the morning’s other contest.
Fossum will take on Thunder Bay’s Kendra Lilly in the afternoon draw, while Payne and Williams will square off at 4 p.m., following the opening ceremonies.
The winner of the four-day event earns a berth at the Scottie Tournament of Hearts pre-qualifier, with two teams advancing from that event into the main draw.
