Reigning World champions Team Mouat will get their first opportunity to represent their country in a major event on home ice when they begin the defence of their European title at Curl Aberdeen tomorrow.
Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan have been a major power in the sport since joining forces in 2017, winning more Grand Slam titles than any other non-Canadian team, becoming the first Scots to win the Pinty’s Cup as the best performers across a full Grand Slam season, reaching an Olympic final last year and achieving top spot in the world rankings before winning the world title last season. 
They have also won the Le Gruyère AOP European Curling Championships on all three appearances at the event, but having missed out on the chance to contest a World Championship in their home country when the event was cancelled due to COVID in 2020, getting the opportunity to play in front of their ain folk adds an extra dimension.
“The boys and I are really looking forward to this home Championships, the first one for us as a team and it is going to be really special having friends and family here supporting us,” said Mouat.
“It will be great having friends and family in the stands. They don’t often get the chance to watch us play live, so it’s an extra special moment that they get to watch us at a major champs here in Scotland.”
They will be watching the very best in the world in action throughout the week with the world champions accompanied by Italy’s Team Retornaz, who have just reached the top of the world rankings for the first time on the back of victories at the first two Grand Slams of the season, while six-time world and seven-time European champion Niklas Edin’s Swedes provide an ever-present threat.
“Our success so far at the Euros has been very enjoyable and I know I say this every year, but I think it is going to be harder to win this one, though,” Mouat continued.
“There are a lot of really good European teams coming through the ranks and we’re just starting to see a lot of Europeans taking over the top ten in the world, so I think it is going to be a tough challenge but we are really up for it.
“We have been having a really good season so far and have won two events but also had some tough champs at the Grand Slams. 
“Morale is pretty good in the team and we are looking forward to seeing what we can do again at this Euros.
“The arena looks amazing, Curl Aberdeen has done a really good job despite the tight turnaround after the Scottish Juniors (which ended on Wednesday) and we are looking forward to getting going.”
In the women’s event it is even more of a homecoming for Rebecca Morrison as she leads her team into action at the venue where she learned to play the game.
“It very special for us to get a home championships,” she said.
“We know that a lot of nations don’t get this opportunity, especially for me being at Curl Aberdeen feels like I am very much at home and I can’t wait to get started and have a home crowd supporting us.
“It’s very exciting to know that the members at Curl Aberdeen are going to be right behind this event and I will see a lot of familiar faces here this week.
“There will be a lot of Curl Aberdeen membership volunteering there as well this week and that will be great to see.
“Its always a real boost to hear family and friends cheering from the crowd and we will have so much of that this week.”
Morrison, Gina Aitken, Sophie Sinclair and Sophie Jackson are looking for an upgrade on the bronze medal they won on their first appearance at the Europeans a year ago and since then they have been boosted by the recruitment of Olympic gold medallist Jen Dodds.
The quintet have performed consistently well throughout this season with their new five-player system and while they, too, are up against the very best in the sport in Switzerland’s Team Tirinzoni, the Scots beat the winners of the last four World Championships on their most recent encounter in Canada last month, so know they can beat anyone on their day.
“We are going into this event with a lot of confidence, especially compared to where we were last season,” said Morrison.
“We have had such a good run this season making the play-offs in every event so far and we just want to continue that great form and make our way to the play-offs again this week.”
The top eight men’s and women’s teams at these Championships, which take place from November 18-25 will qualify for the World Championships later this season.
The BKT Tires World Women’s Curling Championship 2024 will be hosted in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada in March 2024 and the LGT World Men’s Curling Championship 2024 will take place in Schaffhausen, Switzerland in April 2024.
Games will be broadcast on Recast available on The Curling Channel.
Online preview story on the BBC.
The following games will be available on the BBC Sport website, app and BBC iPlayer:
Saturday 18 November
Scotland men v Norway (1430)
Sunday 19 November
Scotland men v Sweden (0900)
Scotland women v Italy (1400)
Monday 20 November
Scotland women v Sweden (1600)
Scotland men v Switzerland (1200)
Tuesday 21 November
Scotland women v Germany (0900) & Switzerland (1900)
Wednesday 22 November
Scotland men v Netherlands (0900)
Thursday 23 November
Scotland women v Norway (0900)
Play-offs and medal matches - TBC.
Scotland Schedule:
Saturday 18 November
Women’s Round Robin Session 1 – 09.00
Scotland v Turkiye
Men’s Round Robin Session 1 – 14.30
Scotland v Norway
Women’s Round Robin Session 2 – 19.30
Scotland v Denmark
Sunday 19 November
Men’s Round Robin Session 2 – 09.00
Scotland v Sweden
Women’s Round Robin Session 3 – 14.00
Scotland v Italy
Men’s Round Robin Session 3 – 19.00
Scotland v Czechia
Monday 20 November
Women’s Round Robin Session 4 – 08.00
Scotland v Czechia
Men’s Round Robin Session 4 – 12.00
Scotland v Switzerland
Women’s Round Robin Session 5 – 16.00
Scotland v Sweden
Men’s Round Robin Session 5 – 20.00
Scotland v Germany
Tuesday 21 November
Women’s Round Robin Session 6 – 09.00
Scotland v Germany
Men’s Round Robin Session 6 – 14.00
Scotland v Italy
Women’s Round Robin Session 7 – 19.00
Scotland v Switzerland
Wednesday 22 November
Men’s Round Robin Session 7 – 09.00
Scotland v Netherlands
Women’s Round Robin Session 8 – 14.00
Scotland v Estonia
Men’s Round Robin Session 8 – 19.00
Scotland v Turkiye
Thursday 23 November
Women’s Round Robin Session 9 – 09.00
Scotland v Norway
Men’s Round Robin Session 9 – 14.00
Scotland v Finland
Women’s Semi Finals – 19.00
Friday 24 November
Men’s Semi Finals – 09.00
Women’s Bronze Medal Game – 14.00
Men’s Bronze Medal Game – 19.00
Saturday 25 November
Women’s Gold Medal Game – 09.00
Men’s Gold Medal Game – 14.00
Scotland Women
Rebecca Morrison
Jennifer Dodds
Gina Aitken
Sophie Jackson
Sophie Sinclair
Coach: Ross Paterson
Scotland Men
Bruce Mouat
Grant Hardie
Bobby Lammie
Hammy McMillan
Kyle Waddell
Coach: Michael Goodfellow
#curling
Image:WCF/Celine Stucki
