Scots learn fast to bounce back quickly

SCOTLAND’S women took crucial lessons from their first defeat in the round-robin section of the Le Gruyere AOL European Championships and immediately implemented them to register a bounce back win that keeps them top of the standings and close to qualification for the play-off stages.

Skip Eve Muirhead had admitted to some frustration with the way she and team-mates Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff had performed in their 8-7 morning defeat against Italy, but she felt they were already responding to the mistakes they had made before that match was over and then showed what they were made of in the day’s second match against the Czech Republic.

“Obviously this morning wasn’t what we wanted, but I think we took a lot from that game when we came back really strongly in the second half and we took that into that game there,” said the two-time European champion after their 9-1 win.

“Our stone placement was much better. This morning we were just on the wrong side of the inch a lot of the time and out here at this level you can’t do that and we learned a lot from that.

“We really did come out firing from the very first end and all I can say is that I’m proud of the girls. To play under this pressure and to manage to bounce back in games like that is pretty crucial and I think it just shows our determination and that we’re here to compete.”

In the short term they know that a win in either of their remaining matches over the next two days – today they will take on world champions Switzerland – will be sufficient to guarantee them a place in the semis.

“That game was important, because it’s close to giving us qualification and I think it’s also important for our team’s momentum,” said Muirhead.

However, they have also been keen to put down a marker ahead of next month’s Olympic Qualifying Event in the Netherlands, which represents their last chance to earn Team GB a place in the women’s event at the Winter Olympics in Beijing next year.

“The big one’s next month at the OQE and a few of these teams are going to be there, so it gives us a lot of good positive things to take going into that,” Muirhead said.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s men were taken the full distance for the first time, but Team Mouat ultimately emerged triumphant, beating Denmark 9-8 to maintain their unbeaten record and stay clear at the top of the standings.

“The game was pretty tough,” said Mouat. “We didn’t necessarily play as well as we have been and we are viewing it that going the distance is a good thing for us as we are bound to have to do that later in the week now that we are getting closer to the end of the round robin and the play-offs.

“It is probably good to have that knowledge that we can still fight it out towards the end of the game.”

They face Switzerland and the Czech Republic today.