CURLER CRAIK ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Former Forfar junior curler James Craik helped Scotland become World Junior champions with an emphatic 7-1 victory against Germany in Sweden.

British Curling’s golden season ended in appropriate fashion in Jonkoping when James Craik, Angus Bryce, Scott Hyslop and Niall Ryder recorded a comfortable win.

Team Craik had been the strongest team throughout the event and demonstrated their superiority from the outset in the decider as they produced a relentless performance in overcoming Benny Kapp’s men.

“It was such a clinical performance,” said 21-year-old Craik, who is from Edzell.

“All the boys played fantastic and it was very rare that Germany had a simple shot of any sort or had a chance to put us under any real pressure. It was just the perfect game for us.

“We’ve been great front-runners, so when we got that lead, even just the one shot at the first end, we were happy that they had to come to us and when we got the steal of two that really gave us the chance to start putting them to work.”

On a personal level it was the culmination of four years of hard work, having been part of Ross Whyte’s team that had claimed bronze at the 2019 event.

In 2020 Craik, along with Bryce and Ryder on that occasion, won another bronze, while this was a first medal for Hyslop and for alternate Jack Carrick.

The skip said he had drawn inspiration from the men they work alongside at the National Curling Academy in Stirling, this season’s European champions, Olympic finalists and Pinty’s Grand Slam Cup winners Team Mouat.

“It’s something I’ve thought about ever since I’ve started curling,” said Craik.

“I’ve watched people win it, the likes of Bruce Mouat when he won gold and it was such a turning point in his career. He’s just gone on from there.

“To equal his achievement at World Juniors and to be able to call myself a world champion is just crazy for me.”