 Scotland's Team Mouat lived up to their billing as the number one team in the global game when they completed a historic run through the BKT World Men's Championship playoffs to beat Switzerland 5-4 in a tense and dramatic final in Saskatchewan. As the first team ever to win this title after having to come through a quarter-final, the victory kept them on course for what is arguably the greatest-ever season by a men's team as they added the world title to their extraordinary hat-trick of wins in the first three Grand Slam of Curling events this season. Five previous tournament wins had given Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, and Hammy McMillan an unsurpassable tally of points at the top of the world rankings. While they were not always at their best in the round-robin stages of this championship, they showed just why they had that status when it mattered most. "I'm so proud of how we did over the last two days," said Mouat. "They really changed the tide of our week and we made some incredible shots in all three games to win this World Championship which is exactly what we were here to do. "It's been an interesting season, with some highs and some lows, but this is definitely the highest of the highs." A Super Saturday had seen them eliminate defending and seven-time champions Sweden in the quarter-final, before they wrestled their way past hosts Canada, who had finished the round-robin at the top of the standings. That set up a repeat of the 2021 European Championship final against the Swiss, and as they had to do against Sweden and Canada, the Scots started without a last-stone advantage. As they had in both previous matches, they began the process of minimising that disadvantage by forcing their opponents to score one at the first end and set about completing the job of flipping the hammer by getting two of their own. This time, it took longer to achieve that, Swiss fourth stone thrower Benoit Schwarz-van Berkel producing exceptional double takeouts at both the second and third ends to deny them the chance to do so, while there was a third successive blank end at the fourth. When a slight error by his opposite number finally left an opportunity at the fifth, Mouat seized on it with a double takeout of his own to claim a 2-1 lead at the midway break. However, the Swiss responded well with a two of their own immediately on the resumption to reclaim the lead. The Scots then looked to be in trouble at various stages of a vital seventh end, until Hardie drove a Scottish guard onto two Swiss stones on the button, removing both and leaving Scotland lying three. There was still work to be done, but Mouat's raise tap back with his final stone nudged his team back in front. They then played an exceptional end, which left Schwarz-van Berkel needing to draw with his final stone to the button under immense pressure, with four Scottish stones poised to score if he failed to do so. He held his nerve impressively to keep his team in it, levelling the scores at 4-4. Still, the Scots were now in control of their destiny and with a trademark Lammie double peel of two guards helping guarantee access to the centre of the house, a well managed ninth end allowed them to blank it and retain last stone advantage down the last. This time, a tick by McMillan early in the end ensured there would not be too much clutter at any stage. All four executed their shots perfectly, with Mouat completing the job as he nervelessly drew onto the button with the last stone of the match to secure the 5-4 win. He offered insight into why he is currently the best skip in the sport as he outlined his thought process. "It was a bit of a pinch me moment to get to draw the four foot to win a World Championship," the 30-year-old said of that pressurized delivery. "That's something I've dreamt of for a long time. "Our first World Championship win two years ago was amazing because it was the first time we had won the Worlds, but this time we actually had to really battle for that win and drawing the four foot is like a skip's dream, so I'm over the moon to have had that team shot to win a championship." That team ethic has been central to their success, which has seen them set new standards in British men's curling since they came together eight years ago. "I can't do this without them, they are unbelievable," Mouat said of his teammates. "Grant played some amazing shots in the games yesterday and Hammy and Bobby just make me look so good because they work so hard and sweep everything perfectly, so I love those guys to bits and I can't thank them enough." It was the sixth win in nine major championship (Olympic, Worlds and Europeans) finals for the Scots, who have also won nine of the 12 Grand Slam finals they have contested, but this victory owed as much to their previous two matches as to all those experiences. "Flipping the hammer over the last three games was the most important thing," he said. "We learned a bit from the game against Sweden, then did it really well against Canada. "Today was a bit tougher, not being able to score a two early, but we eventually got there in the fifth end. "Yesterday we had to come out and play against two really tough teams without the hammer, flipped the hammer as soon as we could and we did the exact same in that game and managed to come down the last with a four foot draw, so you can't ask for much more." As with so many of their previous great moments in the sport, including their 2023 World Championship win, claiming the title on Canadian ice in Moose Jaw's Temple Garden Centre, only made it all the more special. "I've described playing here as like Wimbledon for us," said Mouat. "Curling in Canada is very special and getting to play in front of crowds like the ones we had this week was incredible, so I'm just over the moon that we got to experience this again and obviously to win is amazing." He admitted that they may now be slightly hungover when they play yet another historic match some 24 hours after the World Championship final, meeting Rachel Homan's women's World number one and World Champion team in the sport's first ever Battle of the Sexes match in Toronto. That will be a curtain-raiser to the final Grand Slam of Curling event of the season, The Players Championship, which is also taking place in Toronto this week. Team Mouat and fellow Scots Team Whyte, who won the fourth of this season's five Grand Slams - The Masters - in January, will be looking to complete the full set of wins by Scottish teams in the men's competitions. |
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Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant (Photo: World Curling) are tied for second at the midway point of the competition.
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