Leslie Ingram-Brown continues his reporting from Erzurum:
GBR BEATS USA IN ONLY SIX ENDS FOR FOURTH WIN
If you blinked you missed the game as it took Glen Muirhead's GBR Men only 6 ends to toast the USA with a final scoreline of 8-2. Indeed, having been invited by WCF President Kate Caithness for a 'cuppa' in the V.I.P. area (we media have to slum it), I nearly missed the close out 4 shots!
GBR opened the first end with Glen hitting for 3. USA reposted with a single in the third having blanked the second. Fourth and GBR counted only a single when a three could have been possible but Glen hit the USA stone and cleared the house of all stones behind the tee. Fifth and again USA were forced to take a single.
It was only a matter of time as to when GBR could close out the USA and they did this in the sixth end, taking 4 shots and an immediate concession from the USA.
I made the comment to Glen that the game was short and sweet. He said, "The idea was to come at them hard and force them to take a 1 (with the last stone) and hit them as best as we can in return." On the final 4 at the sixth he said, "I did not see the 4 as I came in with my first and he (Morton) failed with a tricky shot leaving me with the free draw for 4."
On the USA team we agreed that they were not the same that took the ice yesterday and to quote Glen, "They were not at the races compared with yesterday."
A win against Sweden this evening would be a real step towards reaching the semifinals Friday.
TEAMS
GBR: Glen Muirhead, Alasdair Guthrie, Greg Drummond, Michael Goodfellow
USA: Blake Morton, Marcus Fonger, Tommy Juszczyk, Calvin Weber
LINESCORE
GBR * 30010 04XXX = 8
USA 00101 00XXX = 2
SCORES
Great Britain 8 USA 2; Czech Republic 10 Slovenia 2; Sweden 8 Canada 4; Switzerland 9 Norway 2; Korea 7 Turkey 3.
STANDINGS AFTER 5 ROUNDS
5/0 - Korea; 4/1 - Czech Republic, Great Britain, Switzerland; 3/2 - Sweden; 2/3 - Canada, USA; 1/4 - Norway; 0/5 - Slovenia, Turkey.
