Curlers end Paralympic Games campaign with win

BRITAIN'S wheelchair curlers finished a disappointing campaign on a good note at the Paralympic Winter Games as they beat Japan 10-4.

Already eliminated from the tournament before Thursday's final two games after five defeats in seven round-robin games, Britain then went down 6-3 to Italy before rallying against the Japanese in the night session.

Skip Michael McCreadie had moved aside after the Italy defeat to allow alternate Jim Sellar a taste of Paralympic action. In doing so Aileen Neilson became the first female skip in the short history of wheelchair curling at the Winter Games, the sport having been introduced in 2006 at Turin when Britain won silver. Neilson paid tribute to team-mates Sellar, at lead, second Angie Malone and third Tom Killin for providing the platform for the victory, completed in just seven ends.

"It was good to come out and finish with a win," Neilson said. "The guys set up every end fantastic. Jim came on, his first game and he'd been sitting on the bench all week, so I was really pleased for him to come on there and he played some fantastic shots, set up every end and the Japanese didn't know where to put their stones."

ParalympicsGB skier Sean Rose collected another top-ten finish at Whistler Creekside but missed out on the Winter Games medal he felt his form deserved.

Teesider Rose, 38, a former Royal Air Force physical training instructor who became paraplegic following a skiing accident, was Britain's first International Paralympic Committee World Cup gold medallist in January when he won the downhill for sit-skiers at Sestriere in Italy, four years on from his sixth place at the 2006 Winter Games at the same resort.

At Whistler Creekside, though, he had to settle for seventh place, less than one second out of the medals and 2.22secs behind gold medallist Christoph Kunz of Switzerland.

"I feel pretty deflated," Rose said. "The bubble was big at the top and it's been popped at the bottom. I'm pretty gutted but I can go away from here feeling pretty comfortable." Rose was not the only the British monoskier to come away disappointed after Russell Docker made a wide turn and missed a gate coming into the final section of the run.

Back in Vancouver there was a big upset in the ice sledge hockey when host nation Canada were knocked out in the semi-finals by Japan, losing 3-1 after two goals in the final minute of the game at the UBC Thunderbird Arena.

Japan will face the United States in the gold medal game today after the Americans beat Norway 3-0 in the second semi-final. The Norwegians now face Canada in today's bronze medal match.