TEAM GB MEN ONE WIN AWAY FROM TOP SPOT AFTER DEFEAT OF RUSSIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

Another commanding performance saw Team GB’s men maintain a vice like grip on their Russian opponents on their way to an 8-6 win which kept their prospects of finishing top of the round-robin standings in their own hands at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

They had qualified the previous day thanks to their victory over Sweden, but that defeat of the previously unbeaten World Champions also meant that they will finish above them on the basis of their head-to-head record, should the teams finish with identical round-robin records.

That, in turn, will decide whether they meet Canada or defending champions the USA, both of whom qualified for the semi-finals when, along with Team GB’s defeat of Russia, the Swiss bronze medalists from four years ago suffered a shock defeat at the hands of hosts China, however they are ready for whatever the draw throws up. 

“We know one fact, that we’re playing Canada tomorrow (in the last match of round-robin), so if we have to play them again later it’ll be good to learn from the morning I guess,” said skip Bruce Mouat.

“We’ll jut go into the day prepared to play two games regardless. If it’s Canada twice, bring it on.”

Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan all continued to look like they were hitting form at the right time as they surged into an early lead against opponents who had to win to keep their own slender chances of reaching the semi-finals alive.

Starting with the hammer, a near perfectly set up opening end saw opposing skip Sergei Glukhov faced with challenging double takeout attempts to try to limit damage and when was unable to pull either of them off, it left Mouat with a straightforward draw for a three to put his team into a comfortable lead.

It was a similar situation at the second end, but this time Glukhov played a fine angled raise to salvage the situation with his first stone and, when Mouat’s hit and roll left him with room to draw the four foot he managed to get his team onto the scoreboard.

Team GB were forced to take a single at the third end, but then extended their advantage further with a steal at the fourth when Glukhov found himself in another predicament and was left playing little more than a hit and hope in seeking to promote a sequence of three British stones onto the solitary Russian stone in the house, which inevitably failed. 

Playing for their lives in the competition, the Russians battled bravely from that point, as Team GB managed the scoreboard and, courtesy of scoring twos at the seventh and ninth ends, even succeeded in taking it to the final shot where, had Mouat completely miscued, he could have lost the match facing two counting opposing stones, but he made light work of removing the one closest to the button to wrap things up.

“Tactically they’re a really strong team. They put lots of stones in play to create angles, so it is quite tough to keep a lead, but we were hitting really well today, so it felt comfortable, but not completely comfortable,” Mouat observed, wryly.