Thursday, 12th of January 2023

SCOTTISH CURLERS COMPETE AT WINTER UNIVERSIADE 2023

Team Henderson, plus Lisa Davie, and Team Craik, plus Jack Carrick start their Winter World University Games campaign today. They will bear the GB colours and compete in an eight-end games round robin tournament in a chase for medals. This year’s edition of the Universiade is taking place in Lake Placid, USA from January 12 to 22.

WOMEN’S COMPETITION

Fay Henderson will skip her teammates Robyn Munro, Holly Wilkie-Milne, and Laura Watt while also being reunited with Lisa Davie. The outfit already collected international silverware this season when they competed at the World Junior-B Championships. ‘Getting the silver medal [there] helps when it’s the same team that’s going out to Lake Placid,’ Fay said. ‘It’s great to get this opportunity to compete in an international field and hopefully we’ll do everyone back home proud.’

The Scots greatest challenge will likely come from Canada who must always be counted among the favourites. Besides, the USA squad around Delaney Strouse impressed at last season’s World Juniors and is back for more on home ice. Australia’s Tahli Gill, a staple of the international mixed doubles scene, is bringing her four-person outfit to the Games while Japan and Korea have grown into two of the biggest curling powerhouses owed to the successes of Teams Fujisawa and Kim. Also competing in Lake Placid are teams from China, Spain, Switzerland, and Sweden.

Great Britain’s curling women have only taken Universiade gold once so far. Anna Sloan led the team to victory in 2011, a feat this winter’s squad is hoping to emulate. ‘We’d love to perform as well as Anna’s rink did and we’ve played well as a team this year,’ said Fay.

Full GB women’s team line-up:

Fay Henderson (University of Glasgow)
Robyn Munro (University of Strathclyde)
Holly Wilkie-Milne (University of Dundee)
Laura Watt (Perth College UHI)
Lisa Davie (Edinburgh Napier University)

MEN’S COMPETITION

The Team Craik line-up of James Craik, Mark Watt, Angus Bryce, and Blair Haswell will be supported in Lake Placid by Jack Carrick. The squad can well be counted among the tournament favourites due to their regular appearances at high-profile competitions and their previous successes. ‘I think that coming into the Games as World Junior champions does put a wee target on your back,’ confirms skip James. ‘Every team is going to want to turn up and beat you and will have watched one of your games beforehand. We have to come out sharp, come out hot, show why we are the World Junior champions.’

Team GB’s men’s team won the Games once before with a line-up that included Bruce Mouat and Bobby Lammie. ‘It would be good to follow in [their] footsteps, make the progression they did and hopefully manage to pick up a gold here in Lake Placid,’ James said. ‘It’s going to be a very long week, though, with a lot of tough matches ahead of us. We’re just going to have to take it one by one and see how we go.’

They will meet Canada’s Owen Purcell, who’s side was the only one that managed to beat Team Craik at last season’s World Juniors, again in Lake Placid. Once more, the Canadians are likely to be the biggest opponent for silverware. Daniel Magnusson, alternate extraordinaire and lately lead for Team Edin, is part of a strong Swedish delegation in Lake Placid while the Scandinavian force is further backed up by the Norwegian line-up skipped by Mathias Braenden, usually second for Team Walstad. Elsewhere, USA’s Daniel Casper is looking make waves at his home Games. The field is rounded out by Brazil, Czech Republic, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland.

Full GB men’s team line-up:

James Craik (University of Stirling)
Mark Watt (The Open University)
Angus Bryce (The Open University)
Blair Haswell (University of Strathclyde)
Jack Carrick (Glasgow Caledonian University)

 

(All quotes courtesy of British Curling)