An exhibition of high class curling saw Team Mouat clinch a play-off place as they maintained a 100 per cent record through seven matches at the Le Gruyere European Championships in Sweden.
They began the fifth day of action with a near text book first half of curling against Denmark, forcing their opponents to singles, while registering twos on both occasions they had the hammer and while they slipped up slightly in conceding a steal when they looked poised to extend their lead further immediately after the break, they composed themselves to regain control and 7-4 winners. 
There was to be no repeat of that in their second match, however as Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan dominated from the start against Norway as they produced near perfect precision to apply relentless pressure in building up a 6-0 lead in the first four ends.
The Norwegians, 13th in the world on current rankings, finally got on the scoreboard at the fifth end, but when the Scots scored two more at the next they decided they had had enough and shook hands.
“It’s been a really good day,” said skip Mouat.
“We played some clinical stuff and just controlled all the things that we can, so we’re really happy with that.
“The sixth end of the game against Denmark was a bit of a sore one I think it’s fair to say. We had a really close opportunity for three, but we also had a simple opportunity for two and didn’t really take into account that we could have lost a steal.
“It really put us back into a close game, which we really didn’t need it to be after controlling it for the first five ends.”
That left him all the more satisfied with the evening’s performance against quality opposition who are still very much in contention to reach the play-offs, since he knows that two of the biggest challenges in the round-robin section of the event are yet to come as their remaining matches against the other two teams have already secured semi-final places.
“We were feeling really good against Norway, hitting some really high numbers again and there are a tough two games to come,” Mouat observed. 
“We’ve got to be hitting those numbers if we’re to beat the Swiss and the Italians and it’s good to know that we can do that here this week before them.”
He also welcomed the prospect of a single game day against Switzerland, after facing three two-game days in the last four.
“It’ll be nice to have just the one game tomorrow. It’s been quite a long week already, but we’re feeling good and looking forward to getting on the ice against the Swiss boys,” he said.
They will look to reverse national fortunes in that one after Scotland’s women suffered a 9-3 defeat to Switzerland’s reigning world champions Team Tirinzoni in their only match on the fifth day of action, leaving them needing to win their last two matches against Hungary and Norway to have any chance of reaching the play-offs.
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 Turkiye 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
Scotland v Denmark 6-11
Monday 21 November
Men – session 4
Scotland v Czech Republic 11-6
Women – session 5
Scotland v Sweden 7-5
Men – session 5
Scotland v Turkiye 10-4
Women – session 6
Scotland v Germany 3-9
Tuesday 22 November
Men session 6
Scotland v Denmark 7-4
Women session 7
Scotland v Switzerland 3-9
Men session 7 - Qualified
Scotland v Norway 8-1
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
