Curling: Murdoch's marauders rock Swiss to claim sole possession of lead - Sport - Times Online

Team Scotland took just eight ends to beat Switzerland 8-3 in their top-of-the-table, sixth round-robin tie at the Gruyere European Curling Championships in Basle yesterday. It was a first defeat for the host nation and the success moved the unbeaten David Murdoch team out on their own at the head of proceedings. Andi Schwaller, the Swiss skip, raised eyebrows when he sacked his usual No 3 to bring in Ralph Stoekil, the former world championships silver medal-winning skip, into the squad.

The controversial move seemed to be paying dividends and even yesterday Stoekli had an 83 per cent success rate, but in what was surely the biggest match of the tournament so far, Schwaller, the 2002 Olympic bronze medal-winning skip, was found wanting. At the first end, Schwaller wrecked his final draw on a guard, leaving Murdoch with an easy shot for two and at the next, his final take-out failed to push Murdoch out of counting position and the Scot stole a shot against advantage. Murdoch stole two more at the fifth when Schwaller s final take-out bid hit its mark but slid out of the house, leaving the Scots with two still counting for a 6-1 lead.

Even the fates were against the Swiss. At the eighth end, Schwaller s last picked up dirt and ran out of play. He shook hands before Murdoch could play his last and convert his two counters into an easy four.

Miriam Ott s Switzerland women s team had granted Rhona Martin no such favours on Monday night as she beat the Scots 5-4. The match hinged on the eighth end when Martin went for a difficult double take-out, played too square and drove one Swiss rock back to remove one of her own. Ott claimed an easy three shots.

Switzerland s European and Olympic silver medal-winner arrived in Basle under a great deal of home pressure and lost her first three matches before pulling her act back together. She finished yesterday s seventh round lying joint third with five other teams, including the Scots, who lost the third of their matches to Denmark. All four Scots played below par, with a 57 per cent success rate.

The Danes, needing a win to stay in contention, crowded the house at almost every end and picked up doubles at the second, third and seventh ends and stole another at the fourth on their way to 8-4 victory.