Curling

The world's top two ranked curling teams are going head to head.

Glenn Howard and Kevin Martin each won their semifinal games on Sunday in Brooks, Alta., setting up a match-up between the teams considered front runners to represent Canada at the 2010 Games, for the final later Sunday.

Both Howard, of Coldwater, Ont., and Martin, of Edmonton, have 5-0 records heading into the Cactus Phaesant Classic final.

Howard and his No. 1 ranked team of Richard Hart, Brent Laing and Craig Savill beat Manitoba's Mike McEwan 7-4 in the semifinal.

The score was identical on the other side of the draw, as Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert rolled to a 7-4 win over Edmonton's Randy Ferbey in the semi. 

Ferbey was 4-0 before meeting Martin on Sunday.

The four Canadian teams squaring off in the semi emerged from a strong field that included reigning world champion David Murdoch of Scotland, as well as a handful of other teams set to represent their countries in Vancouver, including Thomas Dufour of France, Niklas Edin of Sweden, American John Shuster and Ralph Stoeckli of Switzerland.

The field also boasted a group of Canadian teams preparing for the pre-Olympic qualifier earlier this month, including McEwan.    

Martin, Howard, Ferbey and Edmonton's Kevin Koe have already advanced to the Roar of the Rings, the Canadian Olympic qualifier set for December.

The four remaining qualifying positions are still up for grabs and will be determined after the pre-qualifying event, the Road to the Roar, which kicks off Nov. 10 in Prince George, B.C.   

Howard is the Cactus Phaesant Classic reigning champion, while Martin won in 2007.

A win for Howard would be his second straight victory on the World Curling Tour, following a win at the Grey Power World Cup last week in Mississauga, Ont.

The final is slated for 2 p.m. MT.