Another super saturday at Braehead for the Ladies Glynhill Masters! Let's gloss over the English girl's results - 0 and 5 but a stirling effort and a nicer bunch of girls you couldn't wish to meet. Watching just the one game, I think what's missing is the killer stone mid-end. They get into good positins, and then one shot goes wrong and they are suddenly up against it, defending the end. When their opponent miss, England have to be ruthless. But it's a huge learning curve, and to get invited to one of the calendar's most prestigious events shows how far they have come in 12 months. Go, Girls!

Other notes; Lucy's back Ekatrina likes bending down, in the cafe, in the tightest pants possible , Sara and Cissy enough said and in the middle of all that some curling went on.

Debating point, after 2 hrs the hooter blew and you finished the end you were on - which cut short Feldcher/Ostland just as it was getting interesting, I suggest the hooter goes earlier and then they finish that end + one more, so everyone knows the state of the game going into the last end. No extra ends either in the prelims - scores tied = 1pt each (3 for a win).

Only 12 months to the next one....

Good to hear you made it Howard and I'm glad you enjoyed your day with the ladies. I had a funeral on Friday and the reports of the manky weather in Glasgow put me off making a dash up for the weekend; as it turn out I don't think it was as bad as they were predicting.

I see from this mornings results Siderova has made it to the semi-finals, so this could be her year. The Koreans have done well though and Team Jaggi are still there and it seems they always play decent in Glasgow.

Did you get to see much of Lauren Gray? Her results were a bit up and down, but she was in the tough group.

Siderova won, a steal of 2 in the last end! Yes, saw Lauren but her game was adjacent to the English game so I wasn't really concentrating on Lauren. Talking of concentrating, it was rather hard to focus on one game some distance away when Cissy Ostland is stood right in front of you

Couple of events just starting this weekend. GB have teams at the Universiade in Granada

Women's team is HALLIDAY Rachael, MORTON Heather, RITCHIE Laura, SMITH Hazel, WARD Angharad - they are already 0-2.

Men's team is HARDIE Grant, MUIRHEAD Thomas, SCHREIBER Alasdair, SMITH Kyle, TAYLOR Stuart - they are 1-1, but have already beaten Canada.

And the Paralympic Wheelchair World Champs get underway on Saturday - pretty much the same Sochi team in action again.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/disability-sport/31074993

In the Universiade, GB men eventually finished with the Bronze, GB Women were 7th in the Round Robin.

Not so good in the Para Curling WC - the Scottish team were only 3-6 after the RR, and then lost the relegation play-off to Germany. Since this was the first Paralympic qualifying year, they are now up in deep trouble for Korea 2018, since they will now need to get promoted in 2016, then have a great result in 2017 to qualify.

Just saw your post - quite a come down from their bronze in Sochi. However they can still play in the 2016 worlds if they get through the qualifying event in November - but that's 2 teams out of 12 usually so its a tough event. So not all is lost - but once you get relegated its not easy to make it back into the top tier!

I see the Scottish curling champs start this evening - with finals next Sunday. Will Eve win and head off to Japan - or be stopped by Hannah Fleming or Lauren Gray. Who on earth will win the mens?

Also it appears Tom Brewsters rink is being coached by Soren Gran who coached the Olympic team - considering it was Gran who dumped Brewster for Murdoch its a little odd?!

http://competitions.royalcaledonianc...ampionships-2/

Next Saturday the World Juniors start, plenty of live web coverage and some Scottish games shown too. Both Scotland and England are represented in the women's - but no TV coverage of England unless they reach the playoffs! Just hope Curlit cover the sheets as they do in the Euros.
http://wjcc2015.curlingevents.com/schedule

BBC2 Scotland have coverage of the Scottish Champs, 23:50 on Wednesday - if you're on Sky or Virgin you should be able to pick it up as regional variation or on Iplayer probably,

Looks like Brewster had one of his worst weeks of the season and blew it; didn't even make the play-offs. I would've really liked a Murdoch-Brewster final.

Eve has had a quietly efficient week, cruising her way to the final and scoring a 7 in one end along the way. I sort of hope she avoids having to play Hannah Fleming again tomorrow; she's already beaten her three times and I'm worried about the law of averages catching up with her.

There will be live online coverage of the women's final at 11am and the men at 3pm on the BBC Scotland sport website later today - it's available to anyone in the UK.

Direct link via the RCCC site

http://www.royalcaledoniancurlingclu...nships-finals/

It's Team Eve Muirhead vs Team Hannah Fleming and McDonald vs Murdoch.

The women's tv coverage is 0020 (Tuesday night) and the men's as above is 2350 Wednesday night on BBc 2 Scotland. Jackie Lockhart is back - commentating on the women's final.

Just as a follow up Team Muirhead beat Hannah Fleming 6-5 and Ewan MacDonalds rink beat Team Murdoch 9-6. So the women head off to Japan next month for the worlds and the men to Canada in April.

Two good finals, and maybe the underdog won the men's. Wonder if Brewster or Murdoch will go along as alternate **see posts from last year, year before, year before that......**

I have to admit I'm very glad to see Team Muirhead win through; when they're on form they're simple head and shoulder above the rest. As we've pointed out before that's a good thing and a bad thing.

Murdoch can't really have any complaints as he lost out to McDonald twice, but he'll be annoyed at giving up four shots in that 5th end. Let's hope Euan and his team can handle the pressure in Canada.

Plenty of experience there, think the pressure won't be a problem; just hope they can get a good couple of wins in early!

World Juniors start this weekend and IIRC Tallin is two hours ahead (or behind...) us, so games starting Sat 1400 should be 1200 here.

Or something.

Scotland men and women off to a 100% start, one win each.
England's women were looking good v Korea at 3 - 3 but the Koreans piled on the pressure at the end with a steal of 4 to win 9 - 3

England's women lie 1 and 2 after beating Korea and losing to Switzerland. AFAIK that's England's first ever win at World level, be it Juniors or Seniors? Certainly the first since I started watching curling, way back before global warming meant we don't have any ice any more.
But I'd appreciate it if a statto could put me right!!

So in the women it's Canada v Scotland tomorrow for the championship.

Ahhh, the Canadians were too good. They deserved their golds, they were the top team all week. Gina Aitken and her team were probably aiming for the play-offs, and it was far from a given that they'd achieve that, so to finish with a silver is a good week for them; they can be proud of themselves.

Those Canadians were good - especially the women. Still bronze for the men and silver for the Scottish women - so not bad.

Now its onto Sapporo in Japan for the womens worlds next weekend - Eurosport are providing limited weekday tv coverage (e.g. Scots vs Germany live late morning on Wed 19th) but little sign of much on either weekend. Maybe there will be more on the player?

I saw just a little chink in the Canadian armour, usually around third/fourth stones, but Scotland didn't capitalise and made a few too many small errors themselves, and you just can't do that v Canada. But anyway, considering it was the Juniors the curling was staggeringly good, and if Scotland come away from the World's with a silver and bronze I'll be chuffed.
Also hope that England gain from the experience and I'm told all four girls will be elegible next year as long as they get through the qualifiers.