Newly crowned European champions Team Muirhead got their campaign underway with a solid 7-5 win over the Czech Republic in the opening round of matches at the Olympic Qualification Event in the Netherlands.
After winning the pre-match last stone draw challenge, they made a slightly edgy start to the match, failing to make their advantage count at the opening end as they conceded a steal, before being forced to take just one at the next, effectively reversing the hammer.
However, a well-judged hit and roll by skip Eve Muirhead at the third end saw them claim a steal of their own to move in front for the first time and they stayed ahead throughout from that point.
“We played the scoreboard very well,” said Muirhead. 
“We got that really nice steal at the third end which flipped the first part of the game, then after the midway break we scored at the sixth, then got our two at the eighth which was the gameplan and just saw the game out from there.”
She and teammates Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff are full of confidence after that European Championship victory less than two weeks earlier, beating a field that had included reigning Olympic champions Team Hasselborg from Sweden and the quartet that has won the last two World Championships, Team Tirinzoni from Switzerland.
They had also comfortably defeated the Czechs in the course of that event, but their skip Anna Kubeskova had missed the Euros due to illness and they knew that her return would make them more formidable opponents.
“We’re really pleased to get out of the gates with a win, because Anna is always a tough competitor,” said Muirhead.
“We know she’s a good curler and she wasn’t part of their team at the European Championships, but she’s here and we came out fighting and it’s so nice to get a win.”
In a long career at the top level, this was the first time Muirhead had competed in the Netherlands and she was consequently pleased with the way that her team had adjusted to the environment.
“It’s hard because the ice is a little different to what we’re used to, but at events you just have to make the ice your friend and not try to fight against it,” she observed.
“I always like getting the first game out of the road at any championships so you can go back and have a think about how you’re going to play your other games and how you’re going to have the ice on your side and not against it.” 
The nine teams contesting the Olympic Qualification Event are battling for the last three places in next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The meeting with the Czech Republic having been their only match on the opening day, Team Muirhead will face Turkey in what will again be their only match on day two.
Scotland Team (Qualifying Team GB for Beijing 2022)
Eve Muirhead
Vicky Wright
Jen Dodds
Hailey Duff
Mili Smith
Schedule:
Saturday 11 December
0800 – Session 1
Scotland v Czech Republic 7-5
Sunday 12 December
1300 – Session 3
Scotland v Turkey
Monday 13 December
0800- Session 4
Scotland v Korea
1800 – Session 5
Scotland v Japan
Tuesday 14 December
1300 – Session 6
Scotland v Germany
Wednesday 15 December
0800 – Session 7
Scotland v Estonia
1800 – Session 8
Scotland v Latvia
Thursday 16 December
1300 – Session 9
Scotland v Italy
Friday 17 December
0900 Play-off Session 1
Saturday 18 December
0900 Play-off Session 2
#curling #OQE2021 #Roadto2022
Image: OQE -WCF - Celine Stucki
