The WCF World Wheelchair Curling Championships returned for Scotland for the first time since 2005, when the event was hosted at Braehead Ice Rink. On that occasion, Scotland emerged as World Champions and as the Scots prepared to face China in the 2019 final, it looked like history was about to repeat itself. In an exciting climax to the 2019 Championships at the Peak in Stirling, Team Scotland secured the silver medal after losing out 5-2 in a hard fought final against the reigning Paralympic Champions.
Silver, however, represented a huge achievement for the host nation, who qualified from the round-robin stages with a last-gasp win over Canada before beating the defending champions, Norway, 7-2 in the semi-final. For Scottish skip Aileen Neilson and her team mates David Melrose, Robert McPherson, Hugh Nibloe and alternate Gary Logan it was an impressive finish after a faltering start to the week which saw them lose their first two matches. However, Scots regrouped magnificently and victories against Germany, Norway, Korea, USA, Russia, Estonia and Canada led to a third place finish on the table and a play-off place secured.
Scotland had lost to Slovakia in the round robin stage but they took their revenge in the play-off with a 7-6 victory after an extra end. A 7-3 semi-final victory over reigning World Champions, Norway lined up a place in the final for the Scots against the Paralympic Champions.
In the final, the Chinese had been the top qualifiers from the round-robin stages of the tournament and took the lead early, when they registered a single at the 2nd end followed up with a steal at the next. The Scots fought hard to reduce the deficit but the Chinese rink skipped by Wang Haitao established a 5-2 lead going into the last of the eight ends, where they were able to run the Scots out of stones to lift their first world title.
After the final, Scotland skip, Aieen Neilson said: “We had really high hopes ahead of this final of coming away with that gold medal. However after our start to the week if I had been offered a silver medal I would have been happy with that. Obviously finishing on a loss isn’t easy, but getting on the podium on home ice in front of all our supporters is fantastic.
“If there had been key shots made, when I had a chance for a two or if I had put a better guard on at the seventh it might have been different, we had chances, however we did make it a close final,” she said.
“They were worthy winners and they were probably the best team here this week, however we became more consistent as the week progressed and we did manage to make sure we were peaking in our performances at the end of the tournament.
“Overall, to have that gold medal experience and to have my second silver at a world champs and this time on home ice with lots of Scottish supporters, it doesn’t get much better than that. This silver medal is all the more special because of that and it is something that I will never forget.”
British Curling Head Wheelchair Coach Sheila Swan, who had previously coached the Scottish team at World Championships in 2011 where they won the silver medal said: “It is a game of small margins and we maybe weren’t as sharp as we were in our last few games. China didn’t give us many chances and when we did get them, we didn’t quite manage to capitalise on them. The shot their skip made at the 7th, when he feathered past the guard to make his two, that epitomised how tight that game was.
“They were the form team this week and reigning Paralympic Champions and a team we don’t see on tour much, so difficult to judge how they are playing. But you know coming into this week that you are playing the best eleven teams in the world and you have to expect tough games. There is a tinge of disappointment, but overall it is great to have won silver and we just have to build on this week and come back and get that illustrious gold medal next time,” Swan added.
In the bronze medal game, Korea beat defending World Champions Norway 10-3 to take their place on the podium in Stirling.
Scotland results after the round robin: 7W 4L
Scotland v Switzerland 4-5
Scotland v Latvia 7-8
Scotland v Germany 9-7 (EE)
Scotland v Norway 7-4
Scotland v Korea 7-6
Scotland v China 3-7
Scotland v USA 7-6
Scotland v Slovakia 5-9
Scotland v Russia 5-4
Scotland v Estonia 9-3
Scotland v Canada 5-3
Play-off result:
Scotland v Slovakia 7-6 (EE)
Semi-final result:
Scotland v Norway 7-3
Gold medal match:
Scotland v China 2-5
SCOTLAND TEAM:
Aileen Neilson (skip) – 47yrs, born East Kilbride, lives Strathaven
David Melrose – 52yrs, born Haddington, lives Duns
Robert McPherson – 50yrs, born Motherwell, lives Bellshill
Hugh Nibloe – 37yrs, born Stranraer, lives Stranraer
Gary Logan – 47yrs, born Berwick-upon-Tweed, lives Cornhil on Tweed, Northumberland
Photo courtesy of Scottish Curling