MOOSE JAW -- There will be a new world champion at the BKT World Men’s Curling Championship in Moose Jaw.
Scotland’s Bruce Mouat defeated reigning world best Niklas Edin of Sweden in the qualification round at Temple Gardens Centre in Moose Jaw and will now advance to face Canada’s Brad Jacobs in the semifinal Saturday afternoon.
Mouat, third Grant Hardie, second Bobby Lammie and lead Hammy McMillan joined Edin, third Oskar Eriksson, second Rasmus Wranaa and lead Christoffer Sundgren in finishing with 8-4 records in the round robin, and their quarter-final game was predictably just as close.
Scotland made great use of the hammer throughout the first six ends, picking up deuces in the second, fourth and sixth frames to build a 6-4 lead. The teams then exchanged single points the next two frames before Edin set up a dramatic finish with a pair in the ninth to tie the game 7-7.
Mouat made perfect use of the hammer in the final end, though, and after Edin made a double takeout on two Scotland counters in the four foot with his final stone, Mouat would hit and score one to take the victory.
Mouat now faces a red-hot Canada in the semifinal, with the Brad Jacobs foursome coming off an 11-1 round-robin record. There is a caveat -- that one loss on Canada’s record was to Mouat, a 6-5 extra-end defeat way back in Draw 7 on Monday.
The semifinal contest takes place at 3 p.m. at Temple Gardens Centre.
Team China might have endured a hiccup with a pair of losses in their two games on Thursday, but it’s been nothing but clear sailing since. And now they’re into the semifinals at the World Men’s Curling Championship
China’s Xioming Xu, third Xueqing Fei, second Zhiyu Wang and lead Zhichao Li certainly didn’t have it easy in their qualification round game against Norway’s Magnus Ramsfjell, third Martin Sesaker, second Bendik Ramsfjell and lead Gaute Nepstad needing an extra end to take an 8-7 victory.
China got off to a great start, scoring single points in three of the first four ends, and after a Norway deuce in the fifth, Xu would score three to take a 6-2 lead through six. Ramsfjell wasn’t about to go quietly, though, and a three-spot of his own in the seventh would make it a one-point game.
The teams then exchanged single points the next two ends before Ramsfjell would find the steal in the 10th to send things to an extra end. There, Ramsfjell would draw to touch the button with his final shot, but Xu would do him one better and put his final rock on the pin for the 8-7 win.
China now faces Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller in their semiifinal contest, with Schwaller having taken a 7-5 win in their round robin meeting during the seventh draw on Monday.
Switzerland had a 9-3 record in the round robin to finish second. China was third with an 8-4 mark.
That contest is also at 3 p.m. at Temple Gardens Centre.
SportsCage.com will have live blog results of the Canada - Scotland semifinal, and you can follow along with all the scores as they happen at www.worldcurling.org.
