TEAM CRAIK TAKE GOLD AT WINTER UNIVERSIADE, TEAM HENDERSON FINISH FOURTH
Congratulations to James Craik, Mark Watt, Angus Bryce, Blair Haswell, and Jack Carrick who secured gold at the FISU Winter World University Games 2023 in Lake Placid, USA. They comprehensively saw off the US team in the final to take the medals. On the women’s side, Fay Henderson, Robyn Munro, Holly Wilkie-Milne, Laure Watt, and Lisa Davie too played a great tournament and finished fourth overall.
Team Craik went into the Games on great form and hit the ground running, winning their first five round robin games against Korea, Brazil, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Norway. The first slip arrived a game later when they narrowly missed out to Japan – the team, however, made sure it was the first and the last defeat of the tournament. They went on to secure comprehensive victories over USA, Sweden, and Canada to finish the round robin top of the table.
The standings meant that Team Craik met Owen Purcell’s Canadian side for the second time on the same day in the semi-finals. The occasion may have been a different one, but the outcome was the same. Once more, the Scots in GBR colours emerged victorious with the final score reading 6-4. Up against local heroes USA, skipped by Daniel Casper, they delivered an outstanding performance. Team Craik were in control throughout and played some brilliant shots to clinch the gold with five points to one.
(Images: Lake Placid 2023)
Meanwhile, Team Henderson too did themselves proud in the USA. They started the tournament on fire with five successive wins against Switzerland, Australia, Spain, Korea, and Japan respectively. A slight dip in form saw the team lose to China and USA, but they bounced back to beat Canada and Sweden, securing themselves a spot in the play-offs.
Things, however, wouldn’t quite go to plan in the semi-finals. Up against a confident Korea side, skipped by Ha Seungyoun, the Scots had to admit defeat with the final scores reading 10-4 against them. They faced Delaney Strouse’s USA side in the bronze medal game. Determined and flying high on home ice, the US team powered through the fixture, leaving no chance to Team Henderson who shook hands with the points on 7-3.
(Images: Lake Placid 2023)
