After reaching the final unbeaten, taking the scalps of two World Champion pairings on the way, Fay Henderson and Euan Kyle were pipped for the title when their Norwegian opponents claimed a steal of two at the last end to win the British Curling Euro Super Series Mixed Doubles event.
The Scottish pair had kept their noses in front throughout the first half of the encounter against Martine Roenning and Mathias Braenden, but their world top ten ranked opponents levelled the match at both the fifth and seventh ends before registering that decisive blow at the eighth end.
As a newly formed pairing, competing at tournament level for the first time, it was a hugely positive experience as they seek to challenge the established pairings in both the domestic and international game, having beaten 2022 World champions Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat and 2017 World champions Jenny Perret and Martin Rios in the pool stages.
“It’s obviously been a great tournament for us,” said Kyle.
“Coming into it our goal was probably just to make the play-offs and see what happens from there, so to make the final and put ourselves in a position to win makes it a great week.
“We’re both really enjoying ourselves.
“I’ve loved playing with Fay, who’s been amazing all weekend.
“It’s so easy to play with someone like Fay who’s so easy going, but makes a ton of shots and makes my life so much easier.
“It’s been a great dynamic all week and going forward we can only get better, so I’m looking forward to seeing where we can go, trying to push the big dogs of British Curling.
“Everyone in British Curling is trying to get on top of one another right now, chasing down Bruce and Jen and Bobby (Lammie) as well.
“Going forward there are a lot of good teams now and they’ll be keeping an eye out for us hopefully after this week, so if we can keep going in the right direction and keep training well you never know what can happen.”
For reigning women’s World Junior champion skip Henderson, the tournament was an additional boost as she adjusts to playing at senior level full-time this season.
“This has given me a lot of confidence and Euan has played a big part in that,” she said.
“I know he trusts me to make these shots and the right calls, which I think has helped our dynamic.
“He’s one of the best sweepers out there, which has saved me a few times.
“He knows a lot about reading the ice which has helped me make a lot more shots.”
A high class competition had begun with five former World Champions in the field in British Curling’s Dodds, Mouat and Lammie, as well as Switzerland’s Jenny Perret and Martin Rios, while Norway’s Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten, had won silver medals at both last year’s Winter Olympics and this year’s World Championships.
Yet none of those players got even as far as the semi-finals, such was the calibre of play throughout the weekend, which also reinforced the quality of performance from the finalists.
Defending champions Lammie and Olympic women’s gold medallist Hailey Duff exited at the pool stage, while the two World title winning pairings both went out in the quarter-finals, Dodds and Mouat losing 11-8 to compatriots Katie McMillan and James Craik, while Henderson and Kyle were beating Perret and Rios 6-3.
Skaslien and Nedregotten were meanwhile suffering a 7-3 defeat to fellow Norwegians Roenning and Braenden, who went on to produce a fine comeback in their semi-final, from 6-1 down at the halfway stage to beat Estonia’s Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill 11-7, while Henderson and Kyle were getting the better of McMillan and Craik, winning 8-4.
“It’s been a really good event and so much fun coming here, because we know that the ice is incredible,” said Braenden.
“You’ll never get this ice at a club tournament, only on arena ice.”
And he paid tribute to the home contingent in ensuring that it had been a top class competition.
“There are so many great Scottish curlers,” he said.
“Not many of them play that much mixed doubles, but you saw with the team that reached the final who have only started playing together this season and are super good.”
Please click here for results from Curling Zone.
Results:
Draw 1
Dodds/Mouat –Tonoli/Gosgens 11-2
Morrison/Waddell – Skaslien/Nedregotten 4-7
Otaegi/Unanue – Munro/McMillan 8-9
Henderson/Kyle – Perret/Rios 8-7
Draw 2
MacDonald/Haswell – Aitken/Hardie 5-8
Sinclair/Whyte – Ronning/Braenden 1-8
Engler/Wunderlin – Watt/Bryce 5-6
Duff/Lammie – Kaldvee/Lill 7-8
Draw 3
Skaslien/Nedregotten – Jackson/McFadzean 7-6
Perret/Rios – Dodds/Mouat 6-7
Wlikie-Milne/Brydone – Henderson/Kyle 3-8
Munro/McMillan – Morrison/Waddell 2-5
Draw 4
Ronning/Braendon – McMillan/Craik 7-8
Kaldvee/Lill – MacDonald/Haswell 9-5
Davie/Watt – Duff/Lammie 2-7
Watt/Bryce – Sinclair/Whyte 4-8
Draw 5
Morrison/Waddell – Otaegi/Unanue 1-9
Jackson/McFadzean – Munro/McMillan 8-6
Tonoli/Gosgens – Perret/Rios 4-7
Dodds/Mouat – Wilkie-Milne/Brydone 8-4
Draw 6
Sinclair/Whyte – Engler/Wunderlin 3-6
McMillan/Craik – Watt/Bryce 6-4
Aitken/Hardie – Kaldvee/Lill 5-7
MacDonald/Haswell – Davie/Watt 4-10
Draw 7
Henderson/Kyle – Dodds/Mouat 9-4
Wilkie-Milne/Brydone – Tonoli/Gosgens 7-8
Munro/McMillan/Skaslien/Nedregotten 2-7
Otaegi/Unanue – Jackson/McFadzean 7-1
Draw 8
Duff/Lammie – MacDonald/Haswell 5-6
Davie/Watt – Aitken/Hardie 3-5
Watt/Bryce – Roenning/Braenden 2-7
Engler/Wunderlin – McMillan/Craik 7-6
Draw 9
Perret/Rios – Wilkie-Milne/Brydone 6-1
Skaslien/Nedregotten – Otaegi/Unanue 7-5
Jackson/McFadzean – Morrison/Waddell 8-4
Tonoli/Gosgens – Henderson/Kyle 6-9
Draw 10
Kaldvee/Lill – Davie/Watt 8-4
Roenning/Braenden – Engler/Wunderlin 9-5
McMillan/Craik – Sinclair/Whyte 11-8
Aitken/Hardie – Duff/Lammie 8-5
Quarter Finals
Henderson/Kyle – Perret/Rios 6-3
Dodds/Mouat – McMillan/Craik 8-11
Kaldvee/Lill – Aitken/Hardie 10-7
Skaslien/Nedregotten – Roenning/Braenden 3-7
Semi Finals
Henderson/Kyle – McMillan/Craik 8-4
Kaldvee/Lill - Roenning/Braenden 7-11
Final
Henderson/Kyle (SCO) - Roenning/Braenden (NOR) 5-7
