5 March 2019
Perfect day for Scotland at World Wheelchair Curling Championships
Team Scotland enjoyed a perfect day on home ice as they continued their winning streak at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships to put them on course for the knockout stages.
Paralympian Aileen Neilson’s rink began the day at The Peak in Stirling by ending the unbeaten run of Team Norway, coming from 3-2 behind and at the fourth-end break to triumph 7-4.
The hosts then made it two wins in a day – and three on the bounce – by edging Korea in a close contest, improving their overall record to three wins and two defeats from five matches.
With their confidence high after their morning session victory, Team Scotland surged into an early 6-1 lead against Korea at the break, only to see them level the score at 6-6 after seven ends.
But Scotland – whose side includes Paralympians Hugh Nibloe and Bob McPherson as well as David Melrose and Gary Logan – held their nerve to score the single point in the eighth end to claim a dramatic 7-6 victory, which left them fifth in the standings after the afternoon session.
Earlier in the day, Team Scotland had found themselves 2-0 down to the Norwegians, led by Rune Lorentsen, before drawing level over the next two ends.
We had a solid first four ends and our challenge has been to maintain that over eight ends.
They were pegged back again as Norway went in front for a second time in the fourth end, but Neilson’s team began to take control from the fifth end onwards.
Two points, followed by one in the seventh and two more in the eighth – compared to Norway’s solitary point in the final four ends – saw them clinch a crucial victory.
Skip Neilson said: “We went into that game knowing that if we played the way we played some of the ends yesterday and kept consistent over eight ends, then we’d be in with a chance.
“We had a solid first four ends and our challenge has been to maintain that over eight ends – for once we managed to do that. Now we just have to keep doing that for the rest of the week.”
Team Scotland will return to action on Wednesday when they face China in the morning session before taking on the United States in the afternoon.
With the top six in the 12-team round robin qualifying, the hosts will be in good shape to progress to the knockout stages with two more victories.
Photo: WCF / Richard Gray
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