Curling: Tom Brewster out to defend Masters title

Scottish curling's year kicks off in style when the Ramada Perth Masters, the top annual international men's event in Scotland, gets underway today at the Dewar's Rinks in Perth.

This event is a major stop on the World Curling Tour's European circuit and, with a prize pot of 15,000, has drawn a top-class field from ten nations as well as most of the top Scottish teams.

Aberdeen's Tom Brewster will defend the title he won last year, and his opposition includes new European champion Thomas Ulsrud from Norway; 2009 European champion Niklas Edin from Sweden and a number of Scots ex-world champions, led by Lockerbie's David Murdoch, Inverness's Ewan MacDonald and Stranraer's Hammy McMillan.

In the 32-team triple knock-out event, which guarantees every team at least three games, Ulsrud opens against Aberdeen's Andy Cameron.

Defending champion Brewster faces Patrick Vuille from Switzerland in this afternoon's opening encounters.