Scotland’s Women Reach European Curling Semi-Finals

A comeback forced an extra end

Scotland trailed Estonia 8-3 after six ends, but scored three points in the next phase of the match and then stole two to level the game. The teams went to an extra end, where Scotland secured the decisive point with another steal.

The winning moment came when Estonia skip Marie Kaldvee could not clear a Scottish stone with a raise-takeout. That miss left Scotland in position to take the end and close out a match that had looked beyond reach after six ends.

Qualification secured before the final group game

The result means Henderson’s rink will play in the semi-finals regardless of its final Group B result. Scotland’s group campaign concludes against Lithuania at 13:00 GMT on Friday; the match is scheduled to be live on BBC iPlayer.

Henderson said the team had come to the tournament intending to win. She also pointed to the Estonia recovery as evidence of the rink’s ability to respond under pressure, while saying the team would approach its next game looking for a win.

Sweden had handed Scotland its first defeat

Earlier on Thursday, Scotland lost 10-2 to Sweden, its first defeat in the group stage. The victory over Estonia came on the same day and moved the Scots into the semi-finals despite that setback.

The source of the pressure against Estonia was the size of the deficit: Scotland had to score heavily, then create steals, rather than rely on a single late scoring end. The rally carried the match into an extra end, where one more successful steal settled qualification.

Men’s rink keeps its unbeaten start

In the men’s competition, Grant Hardie’s Scotland rink beat Germany 7-3 in the Czech Republic to maintain its unbeaten start. Germany scored three points in the fifth end to lead 3-2, but Scotland answered with four in the sixth and went on to win.

The victory followed wins over the Netherlands and Belgium, leaving Hardie’s rink top of the standings. It is due to play Austria at 08:30 on Friday as it seeks to secure a place in the men’s semi-finals.

Friday’s games remain in focus

Henderson’s Scotland has already qualified, but its meeting with Lithuania remains the last match of its Group B campaign. Hardie’s rink still has a semi-final place to clinch against Austria.

Selected games are scheduled to be shown on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. Scotland’s next confirmed step in the women’s event is the semi-final; the Lithuania result will complete the group-stage record.

Sources

• BBC — “European Curling: Bruce Mouat 'in good place' for Olympics despite settling for bronze – BBC Sport”
• sports.yahoo.com — “Scotland sweep aside Danes in European Championship opener – Yahoo Sports”
• worldcurling.org — “Sweden to play Scotland for women's European title”
• curlingzone.com — “Soutar Reaches 2026 Scottish Curling Junior”