Scotland play-off bid hit by last-stone defeat to Olympic champs

0 Scotland sweepers Mili Smith and Naomi Brown attend a stone delivered by Sophie Sinclair during the defeat by Sweden at the world championships in Denmark.

The play-off hopes of Sophie Jackson’s Scotland rink are hanging by a thread following an agonising defeat by Swedish Olympic gold medalist Anna Hasselborg at the World Curling Championships in Denmark yesterday.

The Dumfries skip and her

team led 4-1 early on and were still a point in front going to the final end. However, Hasselborg had the advantage of playing last shot and counted a two to win 8-7 and become the first team to qualify for the medal play-offs.

The Swede said: “As long as

we have the hammer at the last end, we are confident.”

Despite it being their fifth loss in nine round-robin matches, Jackson and her colleagues can still secure a top-six spot if they win their last three games. They face Russia’s Alina Kovaleva next.