Curling teams come to Braehead for international competition

Jan 22 2009 by Paul Behan, Paisley Daily Express

TOP curling teams from around the world descended on Braehead ice rink to contest the second annual Glynhill Ladies International.

And following three days of intense action, it was world champions Canada who took the title back to the land of the Maple Leaf.

Jennifer Jones, Cathy Overton Clapham, Jennifer Officer and Dawn Askin, reigning World Women’s Curling Champions, won the high profile event after they defeated Binia Feltscher-Beeli and her team from Switzerland 7-6 in the final.

It was a final of two halves – the Swiss had the best of the first half of the game, leading by five shots after five ends.

But with just three ends left the Jones’ foursome dug deep to try to get back into the game.

Accurate shot play got them three shots in the sixth end, cutting the Swiss lead to two shots.

Then a single in the seventh meant they trailed by just one shot with one end to go.

Feltscher-Beeli had a hit with her last stone in the final end to secure the game – but she missed.

As a result the score was tied and the game went to an extra end.

Canada lay two shots, Feltscher- Beeli elected to draw with her last stone, but it ran an agonising inch too far.

Jones and her team then scored one shot for the game and the title.

After the final, a jubilant Jennifer Jones said: “You must never give up, some games go right to the wire. You have to make the shots and you have to make the opposition play the difficult shots.

“Will I be back? It depends on next year’s schedule, but I hope to.”

In total, 24 teams from China, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, the Czech Republic, England and Russia, as well as Scottish teams competed for the title at Braehead.

The Great Britain Olympic squad was the only home team to reach the semis, but they lost out to the eventual winners. Feltscher-Beeli beat Moe Meguro’s team from Japan in the other semi.

This year’s event was hailed a stunning success and another sporting coup for Renfrewshire.

A spokesperson for the organising committee said: “We’d like to say thank you to the Glynhill Hotel for its continuing title sponsorship and to all the funding partners and event sponsors who have enabled us to stage the 2009 Glynhill Ladies International, an event which we hope will keep on growing.”