Glynhill: The Final Day

Jennifer Jones, Cathy Overton-Clapham, Jill Officer and Dawn Askin won the Glynhill Ladies International at Braehead today, coming from 6-1 down against Binia Feltscher-Beeli's Swiss in the final.

The quarterfinals had matched the World Champions against the English. Kirsty Balfour and her team got off to a good start and were up 2-0 after three. But the strength of the Canadians came through and they moved on to meet Team GB. It had been Eve Muirhead, Jackie Lockhart, Karen Addison and Lorna Vevers who had beaten Liudmila Privivkova's Russians, but Kelly Wood replaced Karen for the game against the Canadians. Jones and co pulled away early to a 3-0 lead and ran out convincing winners.

On the other side of the draw, Binia Feltscher-Beeli, charged up from winning through after Saturday's tiebreak, had overwhelmed Cissi Ostlund's Swedes in the quarterfinals. Moe Meguro's Japanese side had made it through to the semis by beating Silvana Tirinzoni's Swiss. But different Swiss opponents were too strong for the Japanese on the day. Feltscher-Beeli's team were two up coming home and did not allow Moe to get the pair she needed. The Swiss were in the final.

Binia Feltscher-Beeli, Sandra Attinger, Sibille Buhlmann and Yvonne Schlunegger dominated the final match for five ends and looked to have the trophy in their grasp. But, just as they did last night against Gail Munro's team in the tiebreaker, the Canadians dug deep, got three back, then stole in seven and eight. In the extra end with the front blocked up and the Canadians lying two, the Swiss skip had to find a piece of the four foot, and she was inches heavy.

Find all the linescores here.

Top: Jennifer Jones, Cathy Overton-Clapham, Jill Officer and Dawn Askin with the International Curling Kettle.

Jennifer Jones

Pics by Bob.

Saturday roundup from Braehead

Here's Saturday's roundup from the Glynhill Ladies International. There were four sections, each with six teams. After five games, two would come through from each. Team GB, with Eve Muirhead skip this weekend, were top of Section A with four wins and one loss. Moe Meguro was in second place on ranking, with the same win-loss record, but having lost earlier to Eve and her team at an extra end.

Section B saw Silvana Tirinzoni on top with a 4-1 win-loss record. Jennifer Jones having gone down badly to the Swiss found herself in a tiebreak against Gail Munro, both these teams having lost two games. Gail romped away to a 6-1 lead after four ends, only to lose a big four then two singles against the head. They went into the last end one down with the hammer, tied the game after a measure. The Canadians came through in the extra end, Jones making a hit and stay with last stone.

Section C saw a team successfully scale new heights in qualifying for the playoff round as top of their section - Kirsty Balfour, Suzie Law, Caroline Reed and Claire Grimwood. Team England finished with just one loss. China's Bingyu Wang will have been disappointed with their results this weekend and they did not qualify. Mairi Milne and Binia Feltcher-Beeli were tied on three wins apiece. The Swiss had lost to Mairi on their last round robin game, to set up a rematch in a tiebreaker. The visitors ran out to 5-0 after four ends and the result in this one was never really in doubt, all over after six.

Section D was decided on the last round robin game. Cissi Ostlund's Swedes spoilt Liudmila's Privivkova's unbeaten run, to leave both as qualifiers, on four wins. Mirjam Ott's Euro Champs were the casualties of that section, failing to qualify for the quarterfinals, 08.00 Sunday morning. All the results are here.

Top: Jennifer Jones and Cathy Overton-Clapham discuss strategy in the tiebreak.

Mairi Milne's side ran out of steam in the tiebreaker against the Swiss.

Look here, all fifteen stones in play, with one Chinese stone to come!

Canada's Cathy Overton-Clapham getting worked up against Tirinzoni's Swiss.

And here's why!

China played today with Yin Liu skipping.

England's Claire Grimwood, Caroline Reed, Kirsty Balfour

Redhead of the Day - WUG's Sarah Macintyre

Anna Sloan skipped the EYOF team.

Russian of the Day - Anna Siderova

Team GB today. Eve Muirhead (skip) and Kelly Wood (3rd) in this afternoon's game.

England's Kirsty Balfour

Shopping is a big attraction for many of the teams playing at Braehead. Here's Nkeiruka Ezekh.

And showing her purchases to her team- at least I think that was what was happening!

Renfrewshire Provost Celia Lawson welcomed all the players.

Pics by Bob.

The big wheel at the Glynhill

The rumour is that the losing teams have to do three circuits on the 'Braehead Eye' (seen here at dawn) tomorrow!

Co-chairman Judith McFarlane takes her turn at the karaoke at the event dinner at the Glynhill last night!

Judith's fan club!

Japan's Anna Ohmiya explains why she always has such a lovely smile.

These girls have been working away. Three wins from their first three games - Linda Klimova's Czech Republic team.

But the biggest smiles at Braehead are Karina Toth's Austrian side - here at last night's dinner. Karina is left with Jacqueline, Jasmine and Constanze.

What do you mean, "Are there any pics of the curling?". Here are Katie Loudon and Claire Milne, who did not want to be reminded that they were run over by the English last night! You can find all the results here!

Russian photo of the day.

This for Lucy's fan club.

Today's caption competition is of the Chief Umpire at work.

So, who was wearing the kinky boots at the dinner last night? They reminded the Ed of his education in the 60s.

Marianne Neeleman it was. I know her dad! Anyway, she is 'Brunette of the Day!

Favourite curling pic from this morning. Kay Adams was skipping the WUG team.

Last of this batch is again from the dinner. WCF Vice President Kate Caithness discusses the finer points of the WCF Rulebook (Section 7, subsection 4, 3.ii) with Canada's Elaine Dagg-Jackson.

Pics by Bob

Friday Glynhill update

I went to the dentist yesterday, and she asked me to do this. Gillian Howard.

It's who it says it is! Binia skips a Swiss team.

The schoolkids from Arkleston Primary will remember their morning at the rink. That's the local development officer David Horne at the back of the pic!

Special bus! And thanks to all the sponsors.

Big scalp for Gail Munro and her team this morning - Jennifer Jones's World Champs. You can find all the linescores and results here.

Nominated in the following categories: (1) Brunette of the Day (2) Russian of the Day (3) Best supporting eyes - Ekaterina Galkina, known to her friends as Katya

This is Ian Mackin, the webmaster, and President of the I love Lucy fan club!

Jennifer Jones. Needs a caption.

Euro Champ Mirjam Ott of Switzerland.

Braehead's Liz Paul was substituting for the Netherlands this morning.

Caption Competition. Sara Carlsson and Lotta Lennartson from Cissi Ostlund's Swedish team.

And here's their skip, Cissie Ostlund herself! Do you think they would look nicer in black?

Pics by Bob.

Eve Muirhead skips GB Olympic Squad team at the Glynhill

Roll up, roll up for the best show in town this weekend!

Chief Umpire Leslie Ingram-Brown gives a short presentation to an attentive audience at 08.00 this morning!


Eve Muirhead got her chance to skip the GB Olympic Squad team this morning, with Jackie Lockhart, Karen Addison and Lorna Vevers. Kelly Wood is the alternate. The team was against Eve's third from the World Junior Championships last season, Kerry Barr, who probably enjoyed the experience of demolishing the big team - it was all over after seven. You can find all the scores from the event here.

World Champion Jennifer Jones is here with her Canadian team. They beat Siderova's Russians after an extra end in their first game.

So too is Bingyu Wang (aka Betty to her friends) from China, here practising last night.

The Draw Shot Distance is used to decide last stone advantage these days, so why is Umpire Ian Addison tossing a coin? Did both teams cover the poppy? No. What happened was that the Russians, playing first came up short. The Japanese put it in the rings... but kicked it away before the umpires could measure. That means the stone doesn't count (check your rulebook) and so the coin toss was used to decide! I remember when this game of ours was SO much simpler!


Team EYOF? What's that, some were wondering. Curling Today thinks it stands for 'Team Every Young Ones' Friends'. Actually it is the team going to the European Youth Olympic Festival in Poland next month. The girls beat Gail Munro in their first outing. More later.

Who is this young Swede? Actually it is our own Katie Stevenson, drafted in to sub for Anna Hasselborg who lost a player due to illness. Get well soon Sabina. Good to see Katie who hails from Lockerbie on the ice again.

Katie's skip Anna Hasselborg.

We like the sponsorship which we think must be a pub in Stockholm?

Tributes to the hard working organising committee. Here is co-chairman Kirsty Letton who was involved in the Glasgow Kelvin Hall Silver Broom when she was just a lass in 1985. I wonder where they found the banner for this weekend?

Pics by Bob