QUEBECERS DISM UP AT CASINO DE CHARLEVOIX CHALLENGE

After a tough tournament last year, two Quebec teams took 1st place in their category and advance to the playoff round on Day 2 of the Challenge Casino de Charlevoix.

At the Clermont Arena, Etchemin's Martin Ferland's squad put Chad Stevens' 8-4 Nova Scotia foursome with a three-point score in the seventh end. Jean-Michel Ménard's team reached the elimination round with an 8-5 win over last year's champion, Stuart Thompson, also from Nova Scotia.

Six places remain in the elimination round. The Challenge Casino de Charlevoix, the largest curling tournament in Quebec, offers a total of $ 27,000 in bursaries for the elite class, of which $ 8,000 will go to the winner.

Jean-Sébastien Roy's (Kénogami), Simon Dupuis (Thurso), Jeffrey Stuart (Valleyfield), Mike Fournier (Glenmore) and François Gagné (Montreal) teams remain in contention and compete with world-class teams from Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Switzerland.