Victory over reigning world champions skipped by Niklas Edin not only took Scotland’s Team Whyte into the play-offs at the inaugural Euro Super Series tournament at the National Curling Academy in Stirling, but earned them an automatic slot in the semi-finals of the event.
All the pressure was on Ross Whyte and his team-mates who knew that they needed to win to be sure of making the play-offs with fellow Scots Team Craik snapping at their heels having subjected them to their only defeat of the round-robin stages.
They were also hampered by the unavailability of their second Duncan MacFadzean, however they had an able deputy on hand in the shape of their coach Greg Drummond, the Olympic and World Championship finalist, to line up alongside Whyte, Robin Brydone and Euan Kyle.
Whyte held the hammer at the opening end and it was a hard-fought battle throughout with no more than a single exchanged ahead of the final end, where Team Whyte created the opportunity for their skip to play a take-out with his final delivery to claim a two and a win.
“It was a really good win,” he said. 
“Obviously when you turn up against those boys it’s going to be really hard and you know you’re in for a bit of a grind, so getting the result was great and we’re pleased we’ve managed to secure a place in the semi-finals.”
Whyte is revelling in the opportunity to play against some of the world’s best players on home ice.
“I’m loving this,” he said.
“It’s always great to play against these international teams. It was brilliant that we had so m any good teams in Scotland to play against last year. It kept the competition really good, but getting to play against the foreign teams with a wee bit different tactics and different people around it’s brilliant, so it’s great that the NCA could do that.”
The event has also been the perfect way to prepare for a return to international travel and their bid to build on a fine first season at senior level in 2019/20, before last season was wiped out due to lockdown.
“We’re out to Canada next for three weeks, so we’re hoping to gather some points there to move up the world rankings,” said Whyte.
“We’re into the first Grand Slam, but we need to get into the second by points we pick up in September.”
This week’s performance maintained their record of reaching the play-off stages of every senior international event they have contested, having done so in all 11 tournaments they played in two seasons ago.
“We’re very happy, but you can’t take anything for granted in the curling scene,” said Whyte.
“There’s always a lot of teams you’re going to go and play in the next competitions and the next matches that are going to give you a really good game, so all we’re doing is trying to make ourselves better and see where we can go from there. There’s not much else we can do other than work hard.”
They are joined in the play-offs by fellow Scots Team Mouat, along with a powerful overseas contingent which includes Edin, as well as last season’s World Championship bronze medallists Team De Cruz, their Swiss compatriots Team Schwaller and Italy’s Team Retornaz, who were the only men to go through the round-robin unbeaten.
Euro Super Series Results
Draw 1
Watt v De Cruz (EE) 6-7
Bryce v Paterson 2-4
Witschonke v Jentsch 4-5
GB Red v MacDonald 8-3
Draw 2
Craik v Edin 3-6
Totzek v Whyte 2-7
Farmer v GB Blue 1-11
Wrana v Henderson 8-3
Draw 3
Mouat v Team Italy (EE) 7-8
MacDonald v Jentsch 10-4
Paterson v Watt 6-5
Schori v Hasselborg 5-4
Draw 4
Schwaller v Van Dorp 6-1
Henderson v GB Blue 3-8
Whyte v Craik 4-5
Munro v Tirinzoni 2-10
Draw 5
Jenstch v Schori* 5-6
Mouat v Watt 7-4
Team Italy v Paterson* (EE) 6-5
Draw 6
GB Blue v Munro* 8-1
Schwaller v Craik 7-2
Tirinzoni v Henderson 6-1
Van Dorp v Whyte* (EE) 7-8
Draw 7
Witschonke v GB Red* (EE) 4-5
De Cruz v Bryce* 11-2
Hasselborg v MacDonald 10-3
Draw 8
Farmer v Wrana 3-11
Edin v Totzek 6-3
Draw 9
Hasselborg v Witschonke (EE) 5-4
Team Italy v De Cruz 6-4
GB Red v Schori 7-3
Bryce v Mouat 2-4
Draw 10
Tirinzoni v Farmer 5-3
Van Dorp v Edin 5-6
Wrana v Munro 13-0
Totzek v Schwaller 3-6
Draw 11
Schori v MacDonald 5-8
Paterson v Mouat 5-7
Jenstch v Hasselborg 7-6
Watt v Team Italy 1-8
Draw 12
Munro v Henderson 4-7
Whyte v Schwaller*(EE) 4-3
GB Blue v Tirinzoni*(EE) 8-7
Craik v Van Dorp 8-5
Draw 13
De Cruz v Paterson 7-2
Watt v Bryce 8-5
MacDonald v Witschonkie 3-9
Jenstch v GB Red 7-4
Draw 14
Edin v Whyte 3-4
Craik v Totzek 6-5
Henderson v Farmer 5-4
GB Blue v Wrana 7-4
Draw 15
Team Italy v Bryce 5-3
GB Red v Hasselborg 5-7
Mouat v De Cruz 5-6
Witschonke v Schori 10-3
Draw 16
Van Dorp v Totzek 5-3
Wrana v Tirinzoni 4-5
Schwaller v Edin 7-3
Farmer v Munro 7-6
Draw 17 09.00
Men’s & Women’s Quarter Finals
Draw 18 13.30
Men’s Semi Finals
Draw 19 17.30
Women’s Semi Finals
Draw 20 09.00
Women’s Final
Men’s Final
