Allison Ross claims final Tournament of Hearts berth, will represent Quebec

VAL-D’OR, Que. – Allison Ross will be the hometown favourite at the 2014 Scotties Tournament of Hearts next month in Montreal after winning her second consecutive Quebec provincial women’s curling championships on Saturday.

Ross, who plays out of the Glenmore Curling Club in Dollard-des-Ormeaux — just west of Montreal — beat Kim Mastine of Sherbrooke 7-4 in the championship game.

With the win, Ross, third Melissa Gannon, second Brittany O’Rourke and lead Pamela Nugent will wear Quebec’s colours at the Tournament of Hearts when the Canadian women’s curling championship gets underway on Feb. 1.

It will be Ross’s fourth trip to the Scotties; she also represented Ontario in 1999, playing lead for Kim Gellard, and played third for Brenda Nicholls in 2005. Last year, she skipped a slightly different Quebec team — Gannon and Nugent are new to the team — to a 3-8 record in Kingston, Ont.

The rest of the field consists of B.C.’s Kesa van Osch, Alberta’s Val Sweeting, Saskatchewan’s Stefanie Lawton, Manitoba’s Chelsea Carey, Ontario’s Alli Flaxey, New Brunswick’s Andrea Crawford, Nova Scotia’s Heather Smith, P.E.I.’s Kim Dolan, Newfoundland/Labrador’s Heather Strong, the Territories’ Sarah Koltun and defending champion Rachel Homan will skip Team Canada.