Leslie Ingram-Brown reports from Taarnby."Switzerland's Thomas Lips, Manuella Siegrist, Martin Rios and Manuela Netzer-Kormann beat Scotland tonight in the quarterfinal of the European Mixed Curling Championship. Thomas Lips especially came in for exalted praise, and rightfully so, on this performance where his play in the second and fourth ends when Edwards thought the end was closed in the Scots favour suddenly threw a black cloud over proceedings. Not that the Edwards team of Kerry Barr, Scott Macleod and Louise Edwards played badly, far from it. They had just walked into a wall of near excellence.
In the first end Lips tapped back for a two and the second was blanked. In the third, Edwards was forced to draw for one. In the fourth, with the Scots stone lying on tee and guarded, the smallest of ports existed for a draw tap back on the Scottish stone with the chance of a count of two. Lips took the ice, sat in the hack, threw the stone and with little encouragement it passed cleanly through the port to make the score 4-1 Switzerland.
In the fifth Team Edwards fought hard for at least two shots to get back into the game. Switzerland had five reds to a lonely yellow in the house as Edwards threw to try and disturb two stones on the tee to lie shot but, on a measure, Switzerland increased their lead to 5-1.
In the sixth, Edwards got a shot back with a raise takeout but it was all too late. There will be a new name on the trophy tomorrow night."
Other results:
Switzerland 7 Scotland 2,
Germany 6 Finland 3,
Czech Republic 11 Austria 5,
Denmark 7 Italy 5.
Photo © Leslie Ingram-Brown
