BRITISH WOMEN BOUNCE BACK WITH CRUSHING DEFEAT OF DEFENDING CHAMPS

Team GB bounced back from their narrow defeat to Switzerland’s World Champions with a stunning 8-2 defeat of defending Olympic gold medallists Sweden in a match that lasted just seven ends in Beijing’s Ice Cube.

It had always looked like being a testing day for European champions Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff, but the way they responded to that loss demonstrated why they have won every competition they have played together since emerging from the British Curling squad system that was brought in this season to maximise their Olympic chances.

After the defeat of one of her oldest rivals, having regularly faced Swedish skip Anna Hasselborg since both were juniors, four-time Olympian Muirhead hailed the way her less experienced teammates had played on their Olympic debuts. 

“I’m absolutely delighted with that performance and I think that shows what a team we can be,” she said.

“This morning I felt like we played well. We maybe just missed a few shots here and there and needed to sharpen up to beat Sweden and I think we did that and more.

“So we really have set a pretty high marker for ourselves, but I for sure think we can maintain that, because all season we have.

“I couldn’t have asked for any more from the girls. The team played fantastic, the communication was great, the support was great and I’m very proud of them.

“I think it sends a big message, but I also think we just need to stay pretty relaxed and keep the momentum going.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on ourselves and get too ahead of ourselves. We’re still day one here and for three of the girls (Wrioght, Duff and alternate Milli Smith) it was their first time stepping on the ice at the Olympic Games today and we forget that I think.

“So I think we’ll enjoy that victory, but when we wake up in the morning we know it’s a brand new day and we’re back to the start.”

The Swedes had the upper hand at the pre-match draw shot challenge and made a good start by blanking the opening end, to maintain the hammer to the first of the even ends. However, faced with a relatively straightforward chance to take out a British stone and claim two, Hasselborg miscued, failing to remove it cleanly and leaving it for the steal as her shooter rolled further away.

More British pressure resulted in the Swede being forced to skim past a guard in pulling off a difficult raise to avoid another steal at the following end, but it was when Muirhead held last stone advantage for the first time that the screw was really turned.

It looked as if a chance may have been missed when an attempted take out by Agnes Knochenauer sailed through the house, only for Jen Dodds to attempt to draw down a similar line and also lose her stone. The Swedish woman then played a complicated looking promotion shot which moved two British stones from behind the guards, but with the cover still in place, Dodds’ less flamboyant draw in behind it was the more telling blow.

Swedish third Sara McManus then came up light with her attempted draw and when she missed with another high tariff promotion attempt, after Vicky Wright had drawn another shot into the four foot, the British team held the advantage.

Wright then looked to have slipped up when she promoted a Swedish stone into the four foot, removing one of her own, but when Hasselborg then left an angle in her attempt freeze that gave Muirhead the chance to promote one of her team’s stones onto them, the British skip seized the opportunity and when her old adversary finished slightly wide with her attempt to draw her way out of the situation, she was again ruthless in removing that stone to claim a four.

From that point it was largely down to game management, the Swedes’ need to take risks resulting in another British steal at the fifth to leave them 6-1 up at the midway break.

When they then forced the Swedes to take a single at the sixth, then registered another two at the seventh, the match was duly conceded.

“It’s not often you pick up a four-ender against Sweden, but we played a very clinical end with great stone placement, put a lot of pressure on them, forced mistakes out of them and then jumped on it,” said Muirhead.

“As much as it was a four, though, it’s not game over. If you look at the last few ends as well, they were very good to force Sweden to one and at the last end we managed to get a straightforward two by keeping it very simple.”

The British skip said there had been no panic when they lost a potential winning position against the Swiss earlier in the day.

“We had a good chat with our coaches, but to be honest we didn’t need to change an awful lot, just a few things in terms of shot-making that we needed to change, or just make a few more shots, or call them a little earlier or later,” she explained. 

“We did that and I think we put constant pressure on Sweden. As soon as we got any mistake what we did well was capitalise on it straight away and make the most of it.

“Momentum’s key when it comes to the Olympic Games. Today was our busiest day, having two games. Every other day we’ve only got one, so it’s a great chance to take each game and day at a time.”

Their attention now switches to another major challenge, against Korea who reached the final of the last Winter Olympics on their home ice in PyeongChang.

“It was always hard coming off a loss this morning to get yourself back up for tonight, but I think having done that it’s got the ball rolling,” said Muirhead.

“It’s going to be tough against Korea tomorrow, but if we can continue playing the way we did there, it’ll definitely be a great game.”