February 15...Edmonton's Kevin Martin, the reigning Tim Hortons Brier and world champion, won his fourth consecutive provincial title Sunday in Wainwright, defeating a familiar foe, Randy Ferbey, 7-3 in the Boston Pizza Cup final at the Peace Memorial Multiplex.

Similar to last year, when Martin defeated the four-time world champion Ferbey, 7-4 in the provincial final, this game also turned early in the second half, when Martin took a deuce in the sixth end to open a 6-1 lead, then stole a single in the seventh to virtually put the game on ice.

Martin's Saville Sports Centre team of third John Morris, second Marc Kennedy and lead Ben Hebert, together now for three years, once again completed the 12-team event unbeaten.  Not only that, but Martin again defeated the Ferbey foursome three times along the way, winning the A event, 8-5, then the A vs B game, 6-5, prior to the final.

The 42-year-old Martin will be making his 10th Brier appearance, all as skip.   He won the Canadian men's curling championship in his Brier debut in 1991 in Hamilton, the 1997 Brier in Calgary in a wild, dramatic final over Manitoba's Vic Peters, then captured last year's final in Winnipeg, edging Ontario's Glenn Howard, 5-4, while going undefeated at 13-0, only the 14th such team to do so in Brier history since 1927, and just the third since a playoff format was introduced in 1980.  Ferbey was also 13-0 in Halifax in 2003 while Pat Ryan went 12-0 while winning the 1988 Brier in Chicoutimi-Jonquière.

Martin went on to win his first world title last year, beating Scotland's David Murdoch in the final in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

For Morris, a two-time (1998-99) world junior champion, it will his fourth Brier appearance, after skipping Ontario to a runner-up finish to Randy Ferbey in 2002 in Calgary, then playing third for Martin in 2007 and 2008.  

Kennedy will make his third Brier appearance (2007, 2008), all as second for Martin, while Hebert makes his fifth appearance, after playing lead for Saskatchewan's Pat Simmons in 2005 and 2006, then lead for Martin in 2007 and 2008.

Martin now seeks to become the first skip since Randy Ferbey in 2002-03 to win back-to-back Briers.

Alberta has won 23 Briers (the last by Martin in 2008 in Winnipeg), second only to Manitoba's 26 victories.

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