Dramatic win keeps Scotland on course for World Wheelchair Curling play-offs

Team Scotland kept themselves on track for a place in the knockout stages of the World Wheelchair Curling Championship with a dramatic last-gasp comeback win over USA.

Having suffered a heavy 7-3 defeat to China in Wednesday’s morning session, Aileen Neilson’s rink needed to respond at The Peak in Stirling.

But they looked on course for another loss when the USA battled back from 4-1 down through three ends to lead 6-4 heading into the eighth and final end.

However, the Scots made the most of having the hammer to score three and claim a vital 7-6 triumph.

That takes their record to four wins and three losses this week, with four more matches to come on Thursday and Friday before the top six head into Saturday’s play-offs.

Neilson and co had recorded impressive victories over Norway and Korea on Tuesday but Wednesday started badly as China dominated from the off in the day’s opening session.

The Chinese rink, with Wang Haitao as skip, stole one in the opening end before stealing two in both the second and third ends to race into a 5-0 lead.

Team Scotland took two in the fourth and then importantly stole one in the fifth to narrow the deficit to just two points but after a blanked sixth end, Wang drew for two in the seventh to seal a 7-3 win.

But the afternoon’s fightback against USA has the Scots firmly in the play-off hunt ahead of Thursday morning’s clash with struggling Slovakia and the game against Russia in the evening session.