A close call for Robin at Grand Prix Perth skip pleased with new team
Robin Brydone has made a positive start to the season with his new-look team by reaching the final of the Grand Prix Bern Inter Curling Challenge.
The World Curling Tour event welcomed 24 top teams and the Perth skip went agonisingly close to guiding his squad to the top prize in Switzerland.
Robin, playing alongside Fraser Davidson, Derrick Sloan, Gregor Cannon and Craig Waddell, lost out to an Italian rink led by Amos Mosaner 7-6 in the final.
But plenty of positives were being taken from the Swiss success with Robin saying: “I felt it was a great performance from the team to make the final.
“Our goal was to make the play-offs at least. It was a close final and we were in control for the majority of the game, just letting it slip away in the last few ends.
“It’s great to get off to a good start in the season and it keeps the positivity high and gives you confidence to go out there and play.
“Curling is a sport with a huge mental side to it, so having momentum is always a good thing.
“After only three competitions together as a team it has been a great start and hopefully we can keep it up.
“It’s a bit different this year with it being a five-man team, we are rotating the front end at the moment - lead and second - and that has challenges in itself.
“But we have managed it well and we are certainly clicking together.”
The team now have a short break from action before competing in Dumfries next month.
“Our next competition is the Dumfries Challenger series event and this is also a World Curling Tour event,” Robin told the PA.
“So we will be going into this with the hope of trying to match what we did in Bern or go one better.
“This competition isn’t until the second week in December so for now we will have regular
Perth’s Robin Brydone team practices and really try to improve.”
Team Glen Muirhead, meanwhile, have a hattrick of events in Canada and started at a Tier 2 event in Ontario this week.
Glen, younger sibling Thomas and Kyle and Cammy Smith - the latter two from Guildtown - are hoping to build the momentum heading towards Christmas.
“Being in a Tier 2 event is a big carrot, doing well here has knock-on rewards of reaching other slams later this season,” Glen said.
“We want to be chasing those places as well as the important ranking points.
“We all enjoyed the good result reaching the final at Champery which was our last event.
“It proved to us what we are capable of and we won’t be fazed by any teams we face.
“Starting our next run of events here in Canada, we know how important it is to start well.
“We just want to play well over the next three weeks at Thunder Bay, Red Deer and Penticon and make sure we put our training and preparations to good use.”