Team Mouat claimed a crucial win in their defence of the Le Gryuere European Championships title when they defeated hosts Sweden 8-7 at the final end of a tense battle to maintain their 100 per cent record in Ostersund.
The growing rivalry between the two teams has seen them contest a series of major championship finals with the Swedes winning at last year’s World Championships and this year’s Olympics, while the Scottish quartet of Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan have triumphed on their only two appearances at the Euros. 
This time around the Swedes began with the hammer and took advantage of that, scoring two at the opening end, but the tone for the match was set when Mouat played a perfectly weighted promotion shot to take out their opponents’ shot stone and lie two to level the scores.
Scotland then stole at the next end to reverse the hammer advantage and a succession of forces for each team meant the scores were level ahead of what proved the key seventh end.
The Scots spent most of it on the back foot, but Mouat turned it around with an immaculately precise double takeout with his first stone and when Eriksson’s attempted freeze came up slightly short, he followed that up with a perfect takeout to claim a three and a 7-4 lead.
A team containing three of this year’s Olympic champions were not beaten, however and Eriksson took his turn to demonstrate his quality with a brilliant double takeout to get his team out of trouble at the eighth, before a poor ninth end by the Scots saw Mouat left facing a difficult position with his final stone.
He made a valiant attempt and made contact with the target stone, but not enough to raise it past the two Swedish stones inside the four foot rings, which meant the scores were levelled fourth time heading down the last.
The Scottish quartet duly responded to the challenge, executing their shots perfectly, but the Swedes battled all the way before Eriksson’s last gasp attempt to freeze onto the shot stone ran fractionally too long, which meant Mouat did not have to deliver the final stone. 
“We made some pretty special shots and at the European Championships it’s obviously great to be making those at this stage,” the Scottish skip said afterwards.
“It’s obviously great to get a win over them and hopefully we can kick on and keep that play-off spot open for us and we’re in a good spot with three wins so far.”
They had gone into the match knowing they had to raise their game and he was pleased that they had done so.
“I feel like the team’s definitely on the up now,” said Mouat.
“We’ve been pretty much figuring out the ice over the first three games and that was our best game by far to this point,”
They now face the Czech Republic and newly promoted Turkey on day three, looking to consolidate their position joint top of the standings.
“We know the Czech boys a wee bit. We’ve played them a lot going through the ranks and we know they’ll give us a decent game,” said Mouat.
“I’ve never actually played against Turkey, so it will be nice to play them, but it looks like they’re giving some teams pretty tough games.
“They had a close game with Switzerland for a while until the Swiss managed to run away with it, but we’re really feeling comfortable now and excited to see what we can do tomorrow.”
Earlier in the day Scotland’s women had suffered their first defeat of the competition in their third match, losing 10-4 to Italy. 
The European Championships qualify teams for next year’s World Curling Championships with the women’s event (LGT World Women’s Curling Championship 2023) also taking place in Sweden in March (18-26 March) and the men’s event (BKT Tires & OK Tire World Men’s Curling Championship) in Ottawa in April (1-9 April).
Men’s teams: Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Spain (replacing Russia), Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.
Women’s teams: Denmark, Germany, Hungary (replacing Russia), Italy, Latvia, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.
Team Mouat
Bruce Mouat
Grant Hardie
BobbyLammie
Hammy McMillan
Kyle Waddell (alternate)
Coach: Michael Goodfellow
Team Morrison
Rebecca Morrison
Gina Aitken
Sophie Sinclair
Sophie Jackson
Hailey Duff (alternate)
Coach: Nancy Smith
WCF European Champs
Schedule:
Friday 18 November
Women – session 1
Scotland v Turkey 9-6
Saturday 19 November
Men – session 1
Scotland v Germany 6-4 (EE)
Women – session 2
Scotland v Latvia 7-4
Men - session 2
Scotland v Spain 10-4
Sunday 20 November
Women – session 3
Scotland v Italy 4-10
Men – session 3
Scotland v Sweden 8-7
Women – session 4 – 19.00/18.00 GMT
Scotland v Denmark
Monday 21 November
Men – session 4 – 08.00/07.00 GMT
Scotland v Czech Republic
Women – session 5 – 12.00/11.00 GMT
Scotland v Sweden
Men – session 5 -16.00/15.00 GMT
Scotland v Turkey
Women – session 6 – 20.00/19.00 GMT
Scotland v Germany
Tuesday 22 November
Men session 6 – 09.00/08.00 GMT
Scotland v Denmark
Women session 7 – 14.00/13.00 GMT
Scotland v Switzerland (broadcast game)*
Men session 7 – 19.00/18.00 GMT
Scotland v Norway
Wednesday 23 November
Women session 8 – 09.00/08.00 GMT
Scotland v Hungary
Men session 8 – 14.00/13.00 GMT
Scotland v Switzerland (broadcast game)*
Women session 9 – 19.00/18.00 GMT
Scotland v Norway
Thursday 24 November
Men session 9 – 08.00/07.00 GMT
Scotland v Italy
Women semi final 1 – 12.00/11.00 GMT (broadcast game)*
Women semi final 2 – 16.00/15.00 GMT (broadcast game)*
Men semi final 1- 20.00/19.00 GMT (broadcast game)*
Friday 25 November
Men semi final 2 – 09.00/08.00 GMT (broadcast game)*
Women bronze medal game – 14.00/13.00 GMT(broadcast game)*
Men bronze medal game – 19.00/18.00 GMT(broadcast game)*
Saturday 26 November
Women gold medal game 09.00/08.00 GMT(broadcast game)*
Men gold medal game 13.00/12.00 GMT(broadcast game)*
Images: WCF / Celine Stucki & Ansis Ventins
