Team Whyte’s powerful finish to 2023 has been reflected in the updated world rankings for the coming year and they are looking to build on that achievement as they head to this week’s Perth Masters at the start of an important sequence of events.
Their impressive run at last month’s WFG Masters in Saskatoon was ended only by Italy’s world number one ranked Team Retornaz as they reached their first final at a Grand Slam event in Canada and for skip Ross Whyte it felt like a natural progression. 
“It’s great to move up to number four in the world going into the New Year,” he said.
“We feel like the way we’ve played this year merits that.
“We were very pleased with our outing at the last Grand Slam event. We turned up and played well and once we got over the disappointment of the final we could reflect on how we’d done to make it to the final for the first time.
“These events are always very tough with some great teams there. Unfortunately we ran into a very hot Team Retornaz in the final, but we’re hoping to use this to help push us on and challenge even more and keep getting to finals and hopefully one will fall for us.
“The more chances we give ourselves the more chance we have of winning and as a team we feel we’re in a very good place.
“Our goal is always to get to number one, so it’s a real good starting point heading into 2024 and hopefully we can continue the run of form we’ve been on and go on and achieve good things.
“It’s the first time we’ve been in the top five in the world rankings overall and it shows that our hard work’s paying off, along with other good teams in the country.”
“We’re hoping this will give us the confidence to go really deep in these competitions a lot more and that this is just the start.”
It was a performance that was enough to take Whyte, Robin Brydone, Duncan McFadzean and Euan Kyle ahead of compatriots and reigning World champions Team Mouat in the rankings, but Whyte knows that the coming weeks will provide further serious examinations both domestically and internationally.
“Team Mouat are also right there in the rankings and we have a few other good teams coming through as well in Scotland, so it’s nice to see how everyone is progressing and that we’re up there with the best in the world,” said Whyte. 
“Performing well at the Perth Masters at the start of the upcoming year would be very advantageous for us with a lot of teams close to us in the world rankings and it would also help give us confidence going into the next Slam and then ultimately the Scottish Championships which a lot of our season relies on.
“That’s going to be big for us. We want to go out there and prove ourselves and finally get a Scottish title under our belt for the first time.
“It will be very tough because the Scottish teams are exceptionally good, but we feel like we’re up to the challenge and have put ourselves in a great position with the work we’ve done to have that opportunity.
“So hopefully the Perth Masters will kick us off and we can go deep this week, which would be a great start to the year.”
Last year’s event marked the start of an historic year for Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan as they claimed the Perth Masters for the third successive time and followed that by winning a fourth Scottish title in their last four appearances, before going on to claim a first World title, then their fourth European Championships title, to maintain their 100 per cent record at that event.
However, they did not perform as well in the Slam events as in previous seasons and ended the year short-handed as they missed out on the play-offs at the WFG Masters by the narrowest margins with vice skip Hardie having to stay in Scotland undergoing minor surgery.
He is, however, now raring to go to help his teammates in the first of their many forthcoming title defences as well as climbing back up the world rankings, having spent a chunk of each of the last two years at number one. 
“It was very strange sitting out and watching the guys play with three but considering the circumstances they had a very good week and were very unlucky not to make the play-offs,” said Hardie.
“I had a good training week at home working on my fitness so back to full health and had a good break and feeling much better and looking forward to getting back out there with the guys.
“I’m desperate to be playing and missing a Slam is never nice so we have a big January coming up and Perth is the ideal opportunity to set the New Year in the right tone.
“We have three competitions back to back and it will be a great chance to find some form on the tour.
“I know obviously last year was a phenomenal year in terms of representing our country, but that aside I think we would like to up our game on the tour and get back up the world rankings, so I think January is a huge month for us.
“I had a great break over Christmas. It was nice to relax and catch up with family and all of us put in plenty of gym work but it was nice to be off the ice.
”Hopefully we now set the tone in January and find some form leading into a very important Scottish Championships.”
Sixteen men’s and eight women’s teams will be in action at the Dewar’s Centre this week and last year’s World Junior Championship winning skip Fay Henderson is another who heads into the event looking to build on a successful end to 2023. 
She reached the final of the British Curling Euro Super Series Mixed Doubles event in December with Team Whyte’s Euan Kyle and she and her new women’s teammates Olympic gold medallist Hailey Duff, Amy MacDonald and Katie McMillan then won the Aberdeen Classic title just before Christmas.
“Claiming the win in Aberdeen was probably the best way to finish 2023,” she said.
“We had a good training block ahead of it and a few more sessions afterwards before a bit of a break, so that we can be refreshed and recharged.
“The win has helped bring us closer as a team and given us confidence rolling forward, so hopefully we can put in another good weekend to keep that going.
“The Perth Masters is a great standard of competition and we look forward to it every year.
“Obviously the Scottish is just around the corner and this is great preparation for that and that’s another competition at home as well, so the lack of travel and ease of preparation will hopefully stand us in good stead for the next few events.”
The Perth Masters gets underway on January 4 and concludes with the men’s and women’s finals on January 7.
Please click here for the Perth Masters draw.
Team Whyte Images: Anil Mungal / Grand Slam of Curling
