Curling: Brewster racks up the wins in Switzerland

Aberdeen’s Tom Brewster led Scotland to two more wins in yesterday’s round-robin play at the World Men’s Curling Championship, in Basel, Switzerland.

In the morning, the Scots beat Germany by 8-3 before returning to beat hosts Switzerland by 7-4. Prior to this game, the Swiss had not yet recorded a win and they changed their line-up for this game, bringing alternate Benoit Schwartz on to play fourth stones.

The Scots handed Switzerland a steal of one in the second end when Brewster had a complete miss, but the Scots recovered by taking two shots from the fourth end after blanking the third. Former world junior champion Schwarz showed what he was made of when he drew for two and a 3-2 Swiss lead in the fourth, but good Scottish play in the seventh allowed Brewster a free draw to anywhere in the house for two in the seventh end to give Scotland the lead once again, at 4-3.

The Swiss could only take one shot from the eighth to level the game and Brewster then scored two in the ninth, with a good hit and stay, after which the Scots stole one in the tenth end when, with the game at his mercy, Schwarz wrecked on the way in with his final stone. Afterwards, Brewster said: “You need to be on your mettle for every game here, one mistake and you lose but we’re in a great place now.”

Earlier, against Germany, the Scots responded to the Germans’ opening end single with a score of two, which they backed up with a single steal.

Germany scored a single in the fourth but the Scots took control of the game in the sixth end when Brewster had a straight tap-back with his second stone to score three for a 6-2 lead.

Although Germany narrowed the deficit, the Scots added two singles before Germany conceded at 3-8. Scotland face France and then China today.