Swedes are here

The seventeen strong Swedish Ladies touring party arrived in Scotland yesterday, played at Stranraer this morning, and against Kelso at Lockerbie this afternoon. Tomorrow, Saturday, they play two sessions at Lockerbie, against Lockerbie, then against Lanarkshire.

Sunday sees the tourists at Braehead to play against Greenacres and Waterfront, and then against the local curlers at that rink. On Monday they have another game at Braehead against teams from Ayr and Galleon. In the afternoon they are against Stirling at Stirling.

Wednesday it's against Perth at Perth, and then they meet Inverness and Atholl also at the Dewars Centre. It's on up to Aberdeen to play against local teams and then against curlers from Forfar and Kirkcaldy.

Next Friday it's against Kinross at Kinross and the tour winds up at Murrayfield to play the local teams there. The closing dinner is at the Braid Hills Hotel.

Stamina, that's the word I'm looking for!

The tourists arrive at Lockerbie after their journey from Stanraer.

A warm welcome.

Emma Harkness of the RBLS Annan Juvenile Pipe Band leads the Kelso and Swedish teams on to the ice at the Lockerbie rink.

Sweden's Inga Arfwidsson.

Kelso's Violet Reid.

Karin Osterberg and Monica Mabergs discuss options.

Pics by Bob.

European Championship draw announced

David Murdoch's Scottish side will play Germany and Spain in their opening games at the European Curling Championship in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, on December 6. The draw for the A division has just gone online here.

Kelly Wood's team open their account against the Czech Republic and Russia.

The main function of the Euro event is, of course, to decide which nations will be playing in the World Championships. As the next World Championships are outside of Europe, the top seven highest ranked Associations from the A group, plus the winner of the 'ECC World Challenge', will qualify. The 'ECC World Challenge' involves the last team from the A Division in a qualifying position playing a best-of-three challenge against the winner of the B Division. The winner qualifies for the Worlds.

These days twelve teams compete at both the men's and women's World Championships each year. Two teams come from the Pacific Zone. The Pacific Curling Championships begin this Sunday, November 2, in Naseby, New Zealand. The draw (and results) for that event can be found here.

Two teams represent the Americas Zone at the Worlds, this Zone encompassing both North and South America. In the men's event Canada has a secure place as the host nation in 2009. Curling Today previously noted that the USA is to face a challenge from Brazil, see here. Details of this challenge have been made public today, see here.

The four-sheet Capital Curling Club in Bismarck, North Dakota, will host the best-of-five competition spread over three days in the city that hosted the Ford World Curling Championships in 2002. Brazil will be represented by Celso Kossaka, Cesar Satiro Santos, Marcelo Cabral Mello, Luis Augusto Z. da Silva and Anderson K. Santos. They are currently studying at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, and train at the nearby Lennoxville Curling Club.

The USA representative will be the top men's team in the US Order of Merit based on the current season's competition results as of December 31 and which has already qualified for the 2009 USA Curling National Championships and 2010 USA Olympic Team Trials.

Scots in Ottawa Valley Junior Superspiel

Claire Hamilton, Lauren Gray, Rhiann Macleod and Caitlin Barr have their first game at 9am local time Friday, in the John Shea Insurance Ottawa Valley Curling Association Junior Superspiel. The Scots play Sara Westman's Ontario team in the first round of the sixteen team triple knockout competition at the Otttawa Hunt and Golf Club. Follow progress here.

Kerr Drummond, James Dunn, Thomas Pendreigh and Blair Fraser are in the sixteen team triple KO junior men's event, and are on the ice early too against Graham Rathwell's local side, at the RCN Curling Club. Follow the Drummond rink's results here.

A feature of the event is that the games are played in a number of different rinks in the Ottawa Valley area. Check the others out here.

Claire Hamilton and Kerr Drummond photos by Bob.

European Seniors at Greenacres

The Greenacres curling rink in Renfrewshire was the place to be yesterday, the first European Senior Mixed Invitation Championships well underway. Doesn't look as if Alan Guthrie was having the happiest day at the office as he watches Jim Beckett's stone in a Sco v Swe match.

Organiser Malcolm Richardson. Actually - look at his jumper - Malcolm was playing for the Welsh team yesterday. In the past he has also represented both England and Scotland internationally. Is this a record? Stop Press: The Welsh have agreed to a transfer request and the ECF President will be competing for Andorra next month.

She's been on the blog before, Ireland's Marie O'Kane.

Captions needed for this one. Archie Craig is saying to his skip Lockhart Steele, "I've been practising... this is the Vulcan salute." Or, "The RCCC is really up against the wall on the Vernon issue." Or is Lockhart saying, "What do you think I should call this little white rat I've found?"

Former World Champion Kristian Soerum and his Norwegian team.

There is absolutely no way Marion Craig can possibly be old enough to be taking part in this competition for over-50s, and this pic shows.

Sweden's Goran Roxin.

John MacDougall in full colour! Or, how to make the Editor happy!

Scottish Senior Champion Kirsty Letton.

Strictly Come Curling - an Icelandic contra check-natural fleckerl.

Hungary's skip, Andras Rokusfalvy.

Good to see the organiser of last week's Kinross International Wheelchair Curling event, Ena Stevenson, enjoying herself - or is she - at Greenacres. Note the stylish, elegant, colourful tops the Mary Barr team were wearing. They get the Scottish Curler five handle approval rating! Ditch the drab, bring back colour to curling!

The Polish team, complete with their new signing Donald Macrae, in their match against Estonia.

RCCC Ladies' Branch Vice-president Kay Gibb.

Colin Hamilton has teamed up with Gary Macfarlane for this season's Scottish Seniors. Here he is explaining options to Gary in their game against Hungary yesterday, Gary listening attentively!

Pics by Bob. Scores and standings are here. My next report after Saturday's final games. See other photos from the event here.

GB Squads in Canada

Both men's and women's GB squads are in Canada for World Curling Tour events, both are in Alberta this coming weekend.

The men's squad members David Murdoch, Ewan McDonald, Craig Wilson and Euan Byers are the lineup for the Cactus Pheasant Classic in Brooks, Alberta and they will be facing quite a challenge. Twenty four teams are in the draw and the team list includes Randy Ferbey, Brad Gushue, 2006 Olympic champion, Glen Howard and an up coming team skipped by Kevin Koe. Murdoch's team play Darren Moulding in their opening game on Thursday 30 October at 8.30a.m. Mountain Time. I'll leave you to work out what time that is GMT! (Added later. The Cactus Pheasant is being covered by Curl TV)

On the same weekend Kelly Wood, Lorna Vevers, Lynn Cameron, Karen Addison and Eve Muirhead are scheduled for the Red Deer Classic also in Alberta. Thirty two teams are on the list for this one, mostly Canadian though there is a Japanese team adding to the international flavour. The women's first game is Thursday 30 October at 12.00 noon, once again Mountain Time, they'll meet Krista Crowther.

The following weekend the men's squad will be in Lloydminster, also in Alberta, and the women in Ottawa.

Posted by Christine.

Euro Seniors at Greenacres

I'll be heading up the road tomorrow to Greenacres, which this week plays host to the first European Senior Invitation Curling Championships, featuring both men’s and women’s teams.

The event for the over-50s has attracted entries from Norway, Hungary, Iceland, Poland, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands as well as teams from Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales. It has been part funded by the legacy from the financially successful World events held at the Lagoon and Greenacres in 2005.

As we previewed before (here) the reigning Scottish Women’s Senior Champions and World Silver Medallists skipped by Kirsty Letton and the Men's Champions skipped by Graeme Adam are in the draw.

First games are at 08.30 on Wednesday morning with the finals scheduled for 14.30 on Saturday. Check out this link where the organisers hope to be posting results.

Weekend wrap

I must admit that I enjoyed the Euro Qualifying Competition at Perth this weekend. There was some great curling, and, as so often, I came away with the realisation of how little can separate the winners and the losers.

It was interesting to see that the Olympic coaches, Derek Brown, David Hay and Nancy Murdoch, were present, watching carefully how their squad members were performing. All of the winning Murdoch team are in the Olympic squad, plus Warwick Smith and Craig Wilson who were also competing at Perth. Three of Kelly's team are in the women's squad (all but lead Lindsay Wood). The others not playing this weekend were Eve Muirhead, Karen Addison and Lynn Cameron. Karen was fifth player for the Wood team at the last Europeans, but Eve has got the call to go to O'vik as fifth player. Allan Hannah will be their coach.

David Hay will be the men's coach for the Europeans, and I think it is a great decision that they have chosen Graeme Connal to be their fifth player. He was in the team that won last year in Fussen, and did a sterling job substituting for Ewan MacDonald as he recovered from his knee surgery.

Now, if I have my facts right (and someone will be quick to tell me if I'm wrong) there will be no European qualifying competition next season. The final Olympic team selections will be made at the end of this season and these two teams will be our representatives at the 2009 European Championships in Aberdeen.

An important postscript to the qualifying competition. Edith Loudon and her team would have been very disappointed at getting so close. Especially as it was Edith last competitive event, after so many years. But a new, different, and just as challenging opportunity has opened up for her. The Royal Club have announced that she will be its new WCF Representative. She will attend her first World and European Meetings in December at the European Championships in Sweden.

The press release (here) quotes Edith as saying, “I am delighted that this role will give me the chance to continue my involvement with curling at the top level, I am looking forward to the challenges it will bring and hope I can bring the expertise that comes with my international playing experience gained over many years.”

Elsewhere in the curling world, the first WCT-e Junior Event was held in Oslo this weekend. Scotland's team which will try to get us back into the Worlds in the qualifying event in Taarnby in January had their first major competition of the season. Glen Muirhead's team lost three and won two. Kerr Drummond's side had the narrowest of losses in the quarterfinals to Mario Freiberger of Switzerland. But it was Graeme Black's team that did the best, finishing fourth, edged by Norway's Kristian Rolvsjord in the 3rd/4th playoff. Well done to them.

Our two junior women's teams both reached the semifinals but ended up contesting the 3rd/4th decider, Claire Hamilton defeating Hannah Fleming in an extra end. A good showing by our girls. The other results are here.

Just a PS about the first International Wheelchair event last week in Kinross, the final of which was contested by two Canadian sides and won on a draw shot decider by an inch by Jim Armstrong's Canadian team. The competition was deemed to have been a success and is to be a fixture in the calendar again next year!

More on VERNON

There's a new statement from RCCC Board Chairman Bob Tait about the Vernon enquiry on the Royal Club website this morning (here). It reads:

"Further to my statement of 8 September the remit for the independent investigation has been revised to set out the use to be made of witness statements and documentation. The remit as revised has been signed by the parties and is reproduced below. Work on completing the independent investigation is ongoing and I will report further as soon as possible."

The lawyer's new remit is published in full.

European qualifiers 7

After four games it was two wins apiece for the Wood and Loudon sides, so the scene was set for a deciding match at Perth this afternoon.

For me the tone of the match was set in the first end. With last stone Edith had a chance of a two, but had to settle for a single. Perhaps things might have turned out differently if she had made this last stone as well as she had played her first. But curling is not about 'ifs'!

The teams were tied 2-2 after three ends. Then the roof fell in on the Loudon side. Going after two wingers, Edith caught a front guard. Kelly though was on target and counted three to go ahead 5-2.

Confidence high, Kelly Wood, Jackie Lockhart, Lorna Vevers and Lindsay Wood were not going to be caught. They stole a single at the seventh to be 7-3 ahead and anything after this was really academic. Edith grabbed two back at the eighth, but when she was too long with her last draw at the ninth. Kelly was quickly into the four foot with her final stone for a two, and it was all over. You can find the linescore here.

Congratulations to Edith, Mairi Milne, Claire Milne and Katie Loudon for making it a super competition this weekend and taking it to the fifth game, and to Kelly and her team for pulling together and fighting hard for their success. The Wood team now get another chance on the European stage where they were the runners-up last year.

Top: Lindsay Wood, Kelly Wood (skip), Jackie Lockhart and Lorna Vevers. Pic by Bob.

European qualifiers 6

In most games there is a key end - that's the one where the Editor is usually getting the coffee, or in the loo, or indeed watching another match. Not so this morning. In the Warwick Smith v David Murdoch game, third end, Ewan MacDonald's takeout went awry to remove two of his own counters and suddenly the Murdoch team were looking at four opposition stones when David went to play his first. The Lockerbie skip came up with two BIG shots, both draws and ended up stealing a single to go 2-0 ahead.

In the sixth, David conjured a pair of shots out of nothing, two fine draws again showing the Scottish Champion at his best.

It was into the seventh then, Murdoch 4-2 in front. Warwick had to draw against three with his last stone of the end. It looked good to be outcounting two at least, but the stone definitely picked, and the Smith team gave up three! The teams played another end but that was the game, and David Murdoch, Ewan MacDonald, Peter Smith and Euan Byers were on their way to Sweden.

In the fourth of the five games in the women's event, Edith Loudon and her team looked at times in the early ends to be stronger than Kelly Wood's side but were unable to convert to shots on the board. It was 2-2 after six and in the seventh it was Wood who took the advantage with a two. Loudon was up against it in the next end, but drew safely to the four foot with three lying against her. It was 4-3 playing the ninth, Wood with the hammer. Successful blank, and when Loudon failed to get cover in the tenth, Kelly had a straightforward hit for the game.

Two wins apiece and the decider will be this afternoon at 3pm.

Find the linescores here.

Top: Euan Byers, Peter Smith, Ewan MacDonald and David Murdoch. Pic by Bob.

European qualifiers 5

Saturday night. One game in a large ice rink, with everything to play for.

Tom Brewster, Duncan Fernie, Ron Brewster, Colin Campbell v Warwick Smith, Craig Wilson, David Smith, Ross Hepburn.

You can find the linescore here. It was 3-3 after six ends, and the game was on. Or it should have been. It all seemed to this observer to be cautious, nervous even. Warwick blanked seven, then when Fernie missed a key takeout, he scored his two.

Two ends to go and Brewster trailed 5-3. End nine saw another Fernie miss - a hit and run when he needed to stay - and Brewster's chance of a two evaporated.

And so it was into the tenth, with Warwick 5-3 up, and Brewster with the hammer. There were stones in play but accurate hitting from the Smith team made it a difficult job for Brewster to get the pair he needed to tie the game. Smith split the house with his last draw, and Tom had a near impossible cross the house double to salvage the game. But it was not a night for the impossible.

Brewster 2 wins, 2 losses
Murdoch 2 wins, 1 loss
Smith 1 win, 2 losses

If Murdoch wins tomorrow morning against Smith, it's all over. If Smith beats Murdoch, we will be back where we started with all teams on the same record!

Saturday's gallery from Perth

This being a family blog I'm hesitant to suggest what Tom Brewster seems to be about to do to David Murdoch! But captions are welcome.

Peter Smith passes a healing hand over a difficult situation.

I had to quash an overwhelming urge to turn the jukebox on during the lone game on the ice tonight!

Tom Brewster was just a photographer's dream today! Here he is chewing the back of Duncan Fernie's jacket on their way to beating David Murdoch earlier.

Katie and Claire work on Mairi's stone, as Edith calls line.

Yes, I hope you are impressed by the Ed's artistic composition of this shot of Kelly Wood.

Most fans have been admiring Team Murdoch's bright new uniforms. You need the body to carry them off though, and one wag did wonder if they had been sprayed on! Much better than black! They definitely get full marks from the Editor of Colourful Curling Today.

Today's caption competition is this pic of coach Brian Binnie with the Edith Loudon team at a timeout immediately before Edith last stone of the game.

Pics by Bob.

European qualifiers 4

Right. If Murdoch had beaten Brewster this afternoon, then it would have been all over, and it would have been Team Murdoch that would have been going to Sweden for the Europeans. Tom Brewster, Duncan Fernie, Ron Brewster and Colin Campbell were set to make that scenario as difficult as possible for Murdoch.

Tied 2-2 after four, the fifth end was a feast of freezes behind front cover. A Murdoch attempt to clear things up left a Brewster shot in place and Tom converted that to a pair with his last stone draw, to go 4-2 in front. Tom forced David to take a single in the sixth, and now had the advantage.

Nose in front, difficult to catch, as it turned out. Murdoch had a tap back for a two in the eighth, missed it, and gave up a single against the head to go down 7-3 and it really was all over, although they played through to the tenth.

Brewster's team play Warwick Smith tonight.

Edith Loudon's team jumped out in front of Kelly Wood's side early in their third game. It looked to me that Kelly's last stone draw in the third was overswept by the team as she attempted to draw the four foot with three lying against her. As the stone slipped too far, that was three given up against the head and Loudon was leading 5-0.

Kelly was forced to play a hit and flop in the sixth with four Loudon stones against her, and she made it to count a single. But the Wood side still trailed 6-2. There was no way back for them and the teams shook hands after seven, Loudon 10-2 ahead.

The women play again tomorrow morning.

Find all the linescores here.

European qualifiers 3

It was David Murdoch, Ewan MacDonald, Peter Smith and Euan Byers against Warwick Smith, Craig Wilson, David Smith and Ross Hepburn this morning. A good first three ends. Warwick jumped ahead with a two in the second, some great play in the third saw David square the score.

But every skip knows that sometimes there is a shot that just has to be made. This was in the fourth. With shots lying against him, Warwick came up just too heavy with his last stone stone draw and his team gave up three against the head. Team Murdoch were never going to give up a 5-2 lead. Although the teams played out the ten ends, Team Murdoch always looked to be comfortable and in charge.

In the women's event, Kelly Wood, Jackie Lockhart, Lorna Vevers and Lindsay Wood, the favourites, set out to avenge last night's defeat by Edith Loudon, Mairi Milne, Claire Milne and Katie Loudon. This turned in to a real nailbiter. The score was tied up going into the last end. Twice during the end, Loudon got the chance to have one well hidden, but Mairi didn't find the line for her guard. Then, with her last stone Edith needed to be round into the four foot. She played it well but rubbed the front stone as it passed, although still finishing in shot position. Kelly was right on target with her takeout.

That's one game apiece.

Find the linescores here.

All go at the Dewars Centre

It is all happening at the Dewars Centre today. A Royal Club Level 1 Umpiring Course is on in the Board Room, with Level 2 and Level 3 courses set for this afternoon and tomorrow. The photo above shows Alan Stanfield, Dor Borthwick and Glenda Barrowman getting set up for the courses.

In the Hay Room, Judith McFarlane and Anne Malcolm (below) are running another National Development Forum. Three speakers are on the programme. Andrew McLean (Dumfries and Galloway Council) and Jim Hogg (Dumfries Ice Bowl Curling Association) are talking on Curling Development in Dumfries, Lynne Robertson will give an Update of the RCCC Coaching Structure and there will be ‘A view from another sport’ by Torquil McInroy (ClubGolf Development Manager).

And on the ice there is the small (!) matter of the competition to decide who will be Scotland's representatives at the European Championships in Örnsköldsvik. More after the games.

Friday's gallery from Perth

I remember the days that teams tossed a coin to see who went first. Team Wood doing the modern thing!

And doing it very well!

Jackie Lockhart - for her mum. I like the windswept look!

Warwick Smith

Question of the day. What does Chief Umpire Pat Edington keep under his hat?

This has to be Friday's caption competition!

Good to see Ewan MacDonald back on the ice and throwing well.

Duncan Fernie

Team Brewster in conference

All pics by Bob. More tomorrow.

European qualifiers 2

Two games to watch tonight and they were both crackers! The men first. Tom Brewster took a pair at the second against Warwick Smith, Craig Wilson, David Smith and Ross Hepburn and it took three more ends for Smith to get back on level terms. After seven ends, it was 3-3. Brewster, Duncan Fernie, Ron Brewster and Colin Campbell blanked eight, and with a double on Tom's last stone of the ninth counted a three. They ran their opposition out of stones in the tenth, and had their first point on the board.

Kelly Wood, Jackie Lockhart, Lorna Vevers and Lindsay Wood matched up against Edith Loudon, Mairi Milne, Claire Milne and Katie Loudon in the first of their best of five matches. There was little between the teams. Wood had drawn better to get last stone advantage at the first, and was 5-4 up at the fifth end break. She stole a single, then promptly gave up a three.

When last season's Euro rep went to play her final stone in the eighth she was facing three more Loudon stones. Her raise was good, but just shy of shot position, and she gave up a single against the head. Two down, with two ends to play.

Edith who seemed to have the better command of draw weight than her opposite number, raised her own to lie shot partially hidden in the ninth. In going for the shot Kelly caught the guard and rolled another Loudon shot into the house. Down 10-6, the handshakes were offered.

Find all the linescores and standings here.

European qualifiers 1

It was first blood to Murdoch as the European Qualifying Competition got underway this afternoon at the Dewars Rinks in Perth. The only game on the ice was the David Murdoch v Tom Brewster match, and it was an intriguing encounter.

The teams swapped threes in the first two ends! Murdoch, Ewan MacDonald, Peter Smith and Euan Byers took another three in the third. They looked confident and were playing well.

Brewster with his new third for this season in Duncan Fernie, and his long standing front end Ron Brewster and Colin Campbell, were up against it again in the fourth. Tom went to play his last with four Murdoch stones lying against him. He could only outcount three of these, and gave up a single to go 7-3 down.

Most felt it might be all over then, and so it turned out. The sides swapped twos, but when Tom was too heavy with Murdoch stones in the house against him in the seventh, the teams shook hands, the score at 11-5.

Find the linescores and standings on the Royal Club website here.

Above: Tom Brewster and David Murdoch. Pic by Bob. More photos after this evening's games.

One eye on Oslo

The world, it seems, loves an underdog. It is human nature perhaps that many of those watching what happens on the ice at Perth this weekend will be rooting for the teams which are not starting as 'favourites'!

David Murdoch, Ewan MacDonald, Peter Smith and Euan Byers hold the mantle as favourites in the men's event, a double round robin against Tom Brewster, Duncan Fernie, Ron Brewster and Colin Campbell, and Warwick Smith, Craig Wilson, David Smith and Ross Hepburn. Can Warwick or Tom's teams cause an upset? I'm not into predictions on the blog here as to who is going to win, except to say that there will be some very special displays of curling this weekend. Unmissable, and Curling Today will certainly be there!

Murdoch faces Brewster in the first game at 3pm tomorrow afternoon. The scores will be on the Royal Club website here, and you can find Mike Haggerty's preview here.

In the women's event to find Scotland's representatives at the European Championships in Sweden in December, Edith Loudon, Mairi Milne, Claire Milne and Katie Loudon face up against Kelly Wood, Jackie Lockhart, Lorna Vevers and Lindsay Wood in a best of five series of games, the first of which is at 8.30pm Friday.

I'll also be wondering how our junior teams will be getting on in Oslo, the first of a series of three events for elite junior teams, promoted by the World Curling Tour-Europe. Glen Muirhead and Kerr Drummond field their National Academy teams in the junior men's event, in which Graeme Black's side is also competing, that team funding their own participation. The Claire Hamilton and Hannah Fleming National Academy teams are in the junior women's event.

Twelve teams compete in each event, playing round robins in two sections. I don't know if the results will be on line. Certainly, setting up the events has been a bold step for the organisers, and not without problems I understand! However, it all gets underway this weekend. (Added later. You can find what I think is an up to date draw here, to download. There are only eight teams in the girls' competition, playing in two sections.) (Added even later. You can now find results here.)

The WCT-e Junior Tour moves to Inverness, November 14-16, and then to Hamburg, January 16-18. I look forward to finding out more about this weekend's inaugural event in due course.

Kinross Wheelchair Curling International

I looked in at the Kinross rink at the Green Hotel today to see some of the play of the inaugural Wheelchair Curling International, organised by Ena Stevenson and her committee. Not that all had been plain sailing, with the Russian side withdrawing at a late stage. Still, teams from Canada, Switzerland, Norway, England, Wales, Scotland and Great Britain squad members aiming to be selected for the Paralympic Games 2010 in Vancouver, were fighting it out in two sections. That's Michael McCreadie of the GB squad setting up for his delivery in the pic above.

Switzerland's Therese Kampfer

Norway's skip, Rune Lorensen

Scotland's Mo Simpson

Skip of Scotland 1, Michael Mackenzie

Canada 1, skipped by Jim Armstrong

Coach Tom Pendreigh with his GB squad at the fourth end break

It was eight ends or the bell - most games going 7 ends. Time clocks were being trialled.

Well done to organiser Ena Stevenson (here with the rosette she won for the best dandelion honey at this season's Kinross show!). Pics by Bob.

The final and 3rd/4th playoff is scheduled for 3.15p.m on Thursday. As of Wednesday evening the position was:
Section A
Canada 1, 3 points,
Norway 1, 1 point, 8 ends,
Switzerland, 1 point, 6 ends and plus shots,
Scotland 2, 1 point, 6 ends minus 6 shots,
England 0 points.

With one game yet to play, Canada 1 tops section A on three wins from three games. Scotland 2 still has two games to play. Mo Simpson's side will play Switzerland and Norway tomorrow.

Section B is complete.
Canada 2, 3 points,
GB 2 points,
Scotland 1, 1 point,
Wales 0 points.