Leslie Ingram-Brown reports from the World Junior Championships in Oestersund, Sweden:"Kyle Smith, Thomas Muirhead, Kyle Waddell and Kerr Drummond lost to Markus Hoiberg's Norway 9-8 in this morning's Page Play-off 3 v 4 game and drop into playing for the Bronze Medal tomorrow afternoon 13:00 CET.
Scotland held the hammer in the first but Norway stole one. In the second end there was a shot for five available for Smith but his hit was just off line and only a three was scored.
In the third, Norway drew for two. Then, in the fourth with a pick-up aiding their cause, Norway stole a three. In the fifth, following a Norwegian miss, Smith had an open hit for three and the score was tied 6-6 after five ends.
In the sixth, Hoiberg drew for a two after Smith had clipped a guard with his first stone. The seventh was blanked. Smith hit for a single in the eighth and stole a single in the ninth as Hoiberg failed to get round a guard with an attempted tap-back for a pair.
In the tenth Kyle was heavy with his second stone and left Norway lying shot and game.
Norway now proceeds to the semifinal to play Sweden. Scotland will play in the Bronze Medal game., against the loser of that game.
Afterwards Kyle said, "We are still playing for a medal and that is what I wanted from the start."
Sweden was broadsided 9-3 by Canada in eight ends in the Page 1 v 2 game. This game was marked by the incident where Sweden accepted defeat and shook hands with Canada after seven ends. The rules require a minimum of eight ends at this point of the Championships so the umpires sent the teams back onto the ice. To the amusement of the crowd, the first fifteen stones were thrown through, including a 360 degree slide by one player before Rasmus Wrana the Swedish skip did an end to end slide and dropped the stone right onto the pot lid. The eight end rule was brought in to satisfy television. Well, there is no television here in Ostersund so should this have been applied. That is the question many are asking.
Next session is 18:00 CET for both the Junior Men's and Women's semifinal games - NOR v SWE and cze v swe."
SCORELINES:
SCO* 03003 00110 = 8
NOR 10230 20001 = 9
SWE 01010 100XX = 3
CAN * 20103 030XX = 9
The event website is here. Watch highlights of the Page 3-4 game and interview with the winning skip here.
Top: Norway. Markus Hoiberg delivers.Above: Scotland in action
Photos © Leslie Ingram-Brown
