The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Team Muirhead turn tables to clinch title
CURLING: Thrilling comeback seals tour win in Canadian event
Eve Muirhead has posted her first victory of the season at the HDF Insurance Shoot-out in Canada.
A year ago the Perthshire curler was on the wrong end of a comeback in the final but this time it was the exact opposite.
Down 5-2 in the last end against Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg, the former world champion and Olympic medallist got the three points she needed to take the contest to an extra end, at which point she stole two to come away with a 7-5 win.
“Last year was a bit of a lesson for us,” she admitted. “We made a few too many mistakes when we were in control of the game and it really cost us.
“You’re always learning, and this year, we flipped it around and to get this tour win is exciting.
“I’m absolutely delighted. The girls played fantastic all week. Coming off a grand slam where we got to the semifinals and to finish off our two-week trip here in Canada with a win, it makes it really special.”
Muirhead was clinical in the way she jumped on the one big mistake made by her opponents. She said: “They had one miss and one call where I would have done something slightly different and when a team gives you an opportunity like that you have to take advantage of it and we were able to come through big and score our three.
“We put a lot of pressure on them in the extra end and we wanted to force her into a tricky shot with her last rock and it all worked out.”
Like Muirhead, Hasselborg will compete at the 2018 Olympics and hopes to use the weekend as an important learning experience.
She reflected: “That’s clearly not something you want to do, but they played two 100% ends, and we just missed too many shots down the stretch and it hurt us.
“You feel comfortable being up three coming home, and it’s a shock.
“We’ve lost two straight finals to skips who have more experience in big games than us. We can learn a lot from them and we want to continue to improve.”
Team Stirling Gin, skipped by Forfar’s Greg Drummond, reached the semifinals of the Shorty Jenkins Classic in Ontario.
Drummond, who formed a new look team this year with Team Smith’s alternate Glen Muirhead stepping in for Gregor Cannon at this event, lost 6-3 to Olympic champions and eventual winners Team Jacobs.
Drummond said: “Overall we are very satisfied with our performance this week in Cornwall.
“Glen slotted into the team nicely at second and gave a solid performance”
Muirhead’s fellow Team GB representatives Team Smith lost 6-5 in the quarter-finals to Norway’s Team Walstad.
In the women’s event Team Fleming also made it to the knockout stages, losing their quarter final 8-6 to Team Duncan from Toronto.