Dec 22, 2017
Alfie Phillips Jr. had a tough
act to follow. His father, Alf Sr., was an Olympian diver, a
carnival showman and, despite taking up the game in his 40s, a
provincial curling champion. In 1956, Ontario was poised to
win the Brier for the first time since 1939, but Billy Walsh from
Manitoba made what became one of the greatest shots in Brier
history. Alfie joined up with his dad shortly after that
loss, then later formed his own rink with John Ross, Ron "Moon"
Manning and Keith Riley. In 1967 Alfie did one better than
his father, winning the Brier in Hull, Quebec. The Phillips
rink played a draw strategy that hadn't been seen before in
Ontario, and one that left an impression on a another young member
of the Parkway Curling Club, Paul Savage. We cover the big
wins and losses and the battles over prize money and what it took
to win over the Ontario Curling Association and their efforts to
keep curling an "amateur" sport. Alfie shares the history of
the Toronto Curling Mafia, tales of Hec Gervais, and gives us
the definitive version of the famous bus story from the
1967 Scotch Cup in Perth, Scotland.
For more on Alfie Phillips, check out
"The Brier" by Bob Weeks. You can also read about his
history with Conklin Shows. You can see the famous Billy Walsh
shot against Alf Sr. at the 1956 Brier near the end of this video. YouTube also
has video from Alfie's win at the 1967 Brier.