Leslie Ingram-Brown reports from the Capital One World Women's Curling Championship in Denmark:"For the Page 3 v 4 game everyone was again entertained to a wonderful game of curling between Canada and Denmark which went down to the last stone of an extra end.
With Denmark holding the hammer at the opening end it was skip Lene Nielsen who made good use of that last stone to hit for one. Second end and Amber Holland (photo above) played the same shot for two. Third and Nielsen balanced the books with a hit for two and in the fourth out came the famous Holland draw against two Danish stones hidden behind guards to tie the game 3-3.
The first steal of the game went to Canada who took the lead at halfway, 4-3. Sixth and a rare mistake by Holland allowed Nielsen to draw for two. Canada blanked the seventh to keep the last stone in the eighth and used this purposefully in tapping back for a pair.
Ninth and the tension is mounting. Canada lie behind a long guard. Nielsen opts to throw the inturn from wide ice round the guard and hopefully tap back the Canadian shot for two. With most of the home crowd now on their feet she plays perfect weight for the ice taken and the shot is perfect! Denmark leads by one shot 7-6 into the tenth end.
Looking at last stone Holland sees two Danish stones lying against her. Canada has no guards of their own colour (yellow) to help and there is no draw to the four foot to win the game. Holland decides to use a Danish guard and try to raise it on to a Canadian stone in front of the Danish first counter and raise that on to the shot rock for one and into the extra end. It works!
Extra end and Canada lie shot guarded behind a mountain of granite. With no way into the centre for a draw Nielsen is forced to try an outwick raise of some twelve feet at about seventy degrees. She soled the stone on the brush and sweeping started almost immediately. The stone was just too thick on the target stone which passed the outside of the shot leaving Canada game.
The Canadians progress to the semifinal this afternoon where they will play China. Denmark will return to the ice tomorrow morning for the bronze medal game against the loser of the semifinal."
Final score: Canada 10 Denmark 7.
The official website is here, and all Mike Haggerty's reports can be found on the Royal Club website here.
Lene NielsenPhotos courtesy of Leslie Ingram-Brown
