After claiming their second men’s World title, Scotland’s Team Mouat face an unrelenting schedule as they get set to take part in curling’s first ever Battle of the Sexes, before contesting the last Grand Slam event of the season.
Just a few hours after beating Switzerland 5-4 in a tension-packed final at the BKT World Men’s Championship in Saskatchewan, Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan were boarding a flight to travel 1700 miles east to Toronto for the glitzy season’s finale.
Waiting for them there were the quartet who have dominated the women’s game, just as Mouat’s men have done on the men’s circuit this season, Canada’s Rachel Homan, Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew and Sarah Wilkes. 
While organisers knew that both teams had unassailable leads at the top of their respective rankings lists when the Battle of the Sexes event was set-up for charity, both have now gone on to win this season’s World Championship, with the timing of Team Mouat’s victory, just 24 hours earlier, adding extra spice to the occasion.
The match will be played in a skins format, while Team Mouat have agreed that, since sweeping differs in the men’s and women’s games, they will use “soft foams” for their brooms. Furthermore, twice in the game on non-skip stones (once during ends 1-4 and again during ends 5-8), Team Homan can call for a “Sweep Swap” where Team Mouat’s brushes are substituted with old school Brownie Brooms.
“The Battle of the Sexes game will be a lot of fun,” said Mouat.
“It’s remarkable that it’s worked out this way with both teams going in as World champions.
“However, the main thing is that we’re getting to raise a lot of money for charity, with the game sold out in the stands and it’s also going to be streamed with availability to viewers to make donations during the game, so it’s good to be able to do that and also to have a fun game of skins against Rachel Homan and the girls.”
The encounter, which will see the Scottish men seek to raise funds for Charlie Boy’s Cancer Fundraiser, while the Canadian women’s winnings will go to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation, represents only a brief break from more serious competition, with Team Mouat and compatriots Team Whyte both set for a week’s work that could cap what has already been an astonishing season for Scottish teams on the Grand Slam of Curling Circuit.
Team Mouat having won the first three of this season’s five events on what is the most lucrative series of events on the tour – The Tour Challenge, The National and The Canadian Open – they were beaten by Canada’s Team Jacobs in the semi-finals of the fourth, only for Ross Whyte, Robin Brydone, Duncan McFadzean and Euan Kyle to avenge them in the final when they claimed their first Slam title to make it four from four for Scottish teams. 
“It would be very special to top off an amazing season with a Players Championship win,” said Mouat.
“Scotland hold all four Grand Slams at the moment, so if either us or Ross’s team win it would be incredible to have all five in Scotland.”
The AMJ Players Championship takes place from April 8-13 at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre with all matches streamed live, while The Battle of the Sexes will be played on the eve of that event, but allowing for time difference will start the same day in the UK, starting at 00:00 BST and it will also be streamed live, on YouTube, as well as through the Grand Slam of Curling website and App.
Battle of the Sexes - How to watch
Team Mouat
Bruce Mouat
Grant Hardie
Bobby Lammie
Hammy McMillan
Team Whyte
Ross Whyte
Robin Brydone
Duncan McFadzean
Euan Kyle
Images: Anil Mungal/British Curling
