Smith’s men are right in the mix
Skipper encouraged by 1st win
KYLE SMITH reckons there are lots of positives to take into Britain’s men’s curling tie against Japan despite mixed fortunes in Pyeongchang yesterday.
Team GB were pushed all the way to an extras end but they eventually beat gutsy rivals Switzerland 6-5 in their Olympic opener.
They slumped to a 6-4 defeat to Canada in their next clash but skipper Smith saw enough to be encouraged by their battling first win ahead of facing Japan today.
The Scot said: “It feels like we were thrown in at the deep end there so it’s perfect to come away with the win.
“It wasn’t the best game from our point of view. We had a few missed shots we would definitely have liked back.
“But we pulled together and got back into the second half of the game.
“It was a shame because we had a slow start against Canada. We played a lot of good curling once we got into it. It’s a pity we didn’t start with that form.
“We played two very difficult games but there’s a lot to take from tonight’s match so we will take that into tomrrow’s.”
The game against Switzerland was tight all the way with never more than one point separating the teams.
Eventually the Swiss had a chance to score two points and win in the 10th end but their fourth player Benoit Schwarz just feathered a guard on the way into an attempted tap-up for two points.
It meant a score of just one point for Switzerland to tie the game at 5-5 and force an extra end.
The British team’s clearout play then left their skip Smith with the simple task of an open draw to anywhere in the house for one point and a 6-5 win.
He added: “It’s a big win. That’s a team we would expect to be there or thereabouts at the end of the week so to get one over on them is a great start for us and gives us a lot of confidence to take into the next game.”
Although Smith’s team could not make it back-to-back wins as they slumped 6-4 in another tight game to Canada, they have a chance to redeem themselves against Japan today.
Meanwhile, Eve Muirhead reckons her women laid down a maker with a seven-end 10-3 victory over Russia. It’s the biggest win in the opening session of women’s round-robin play as the team look to improve on the bronze medals they won in Sochi four years ago.
Muirhead added: “It’s important in any major championship to get off to a strong start. It puts down a marker that we’re here to fight to the bitter end – the team played great.”
They scored three points in the first end when skip Muirhead drew her final stone into the house.
They followed that up with a score of two points in the third end, a single steal in the fourth, and a score of four more points in the seventh. That was enough to persuade the Russians to concede.
Muirhead said: “The composure was good. There’s always a bit of nerves on the first day at the Olympics.
“They are a very good team but when we play the way we did today it’s going to make it hard for all the teams.”
They face the US today as they continue their bid to progress to the semi-finals.