Leslie reports from the Le Gruyere European Curling Championships in Moscow:"This was a critical game for Eve, Anna, Vicki and Claire as they took on the Russian team skipped by Anna Sidorova in round 7. A win was, well, essential, but a loss would have made the road to the Page Play-offs that little bit harder.
Eve opened with the hammer and took a single in the first after Sidorova failed with a tap up for one. In the second, Eve doubled to lie two but rolled out and Russia completed the end as a blank. Third end and Russia drew for one.
Fourth and Eve splis the house to count two and Russia blanked the fifth. Sixth and Russia was forced to tap back for a single. At the next, Eve failed on a double, and and Russia stole one, as they did again in the eighth when Eve attempted a double for three shots and the angles were played slightly wrong.
With her last stone at the ninth Sidorova's draw was slightly heavy, over running the shot, leaving Eve a draw for two and a lead of 5-4 into the last end but without the hammer.
In the tenth it all came down to Sidorova's last stone. Eve lay two shots in the four foot almost locked but at an angle that if Russiaa could see enough and play the double then their biter in the front of the house at about 11.00 could come into play. But she threw narrow, caught a guard, and the win came to the Scots.
A breath of fresh air could be felt from the small band of Scottish supporters in the stands. Well, really, I suppose from all of us here in the Megasport Arena.
Congratulations to Sweden; seven wins and no losses and into the play-offs; the only team so far to do so in the A competition."
RESULTS: Sweden 8 Italy 3, Denmark 11 Czech Republic 1, Switzerland 11 Latvia 4, Scotland 7 Russia 4, Germany 8 Norway 4.
Standings: 7/0 Sweden (Q), 6/1 Denmark, 5/2 Scotland, 4/3 Germany, Russia, 3/4 Switzerland, 2/5 Czech Republic, Italy, 1/6 Latvia, Norway.
Mike Haggerty's reports for the Royal Club are here.
All the results, standings, and statistics are here.
John Brown has what's happening in the B divisions, here.
Top: Anna Sidorova and Eve Muirhead.Above: Liudmila Privivkova delivers, with Ekaterina Galkina and Margarita Fomina the sweepers. Photos © Leslie Ingram-Brown.
