Men's Highlights Scottish Curling Championships

Fancy a trip to Edmonton, Canada, this April?

Well, that's the prize in store for the winners of this trophy.

A place in the World Championships representing Scotland.

Welcome to the Dewars Centre in Perth for highlights of the 2017

It's a battle between veteran David Murdoch and a new kid

on the block, Murdoch searching for a seventh title

against Bruce Mouat, the 2016 World Junior Champion,

who was just ten years old when Murdoch won the first

With a total of ten teams taking part, the round-robin stages

took place over five days, each team playing nine matches

to see who progressed to the knockout stages.

So, this is how the table looked after the round-robin stage.

The first three teams all with the same record -

But Team Murdoch topped the standings by virtue

of their head-to-head records with Kyle Smith and Tom Brewster.

The top four was completed by Bruce Mouat, who beat

In the knockout stages, the top two faced off for automatic

qualification for the final, with the loser going

And it was Team Murdoch who beat Team Smith 4-3.

The other semifinalists would be the winner of the page play-off

And that was 22-year-old Mouat, who dispatched defending

champion Tom Brewster in one of the championship's big upsets.

Team Mouat were fresh off a gold medal in the World University Games

in Kazakhstan, and they maintained that form for the semi,

overturning a two-shot deficit in the final end to snatch

a sensational 7-6 victory from a distraught Kyle Smith.

So, it's last years' runner-up David Murdoch against Bruce Mouat

Now, there's a 16-year age gap between the skips.

Team Mouat won their World Junior Championship in Denmark last year.

Lead was Derrick Sloan, second Gregor Cannon,

I think that David's obviously been around for so long and

Yeah, I was ten years old, and obviously I'm really excited

Well, you're watching as a kid growing up so it's amazing to be

Is it a time for the changing of the guard?

Murdoch's rink is the same as the team which took silver

Michael Goodfellow the lead, Scott Andrews second

I'm not saying you're a veteran by any means but you've won this

so many times representing Scotland across the world and

done incredibly well, and this young guy who's coming in,

and he's hungry and desperate for stuff, right?

Yeah, we're still hungry, too, you know, and so am I, to be honest.

There's been a lot of hard work been put in to be here for this week

and I still crave that win, and my team are desperate

to win this as well, so it's going to be a tremendous

final and we're excited to get going.

The winners, of course, go to Edmonton in Canada.

Do you even think about that or is it all about what goes

It's all about the next few hours, I'm afraid, yeah.

You know, you can't really think about too far ahead.

You have to really focus on the job in hand and we've got a good grasp

of our strategy for the day and what we want to achieve.

Bruce says now is the time for a changing of the guard.

No, we'll hang about for a little bit longer, so we'll see

This is the last Scottish Championships

before next year's Olympics, so a good performance

here is vital to be in the frame for Team GB selection.

Added pressure, then, on David Murdoch to keep his hopes

alive for a chance to repeat the heroics of Sochi.

A reminder of the format in the final.

Points are accumulated for the stones closest

to the T over ten ends, as long as they're

Each player takes their two shots in the same sequence

Well, it was Murdoch who got the final

With the hammer in the first end and seven stones in play,

he had a chance for a massive score if he could pull off

He couldn't quite convert it, though, and had to settle for a two.

Mouat bounced back in the next end with a two of his own and we join it

Commentary comes from Bob Kelly and Logan Gray.

COMMENTATOR: First stone of the third end under way.

Michael Goodfellow's been asked to come round it.

Yeah, as things currently stand for Team Murdoch,

not too much threat with that guard, not really anywhere

Of course the game plan when you don't have the last stone

is to try to get them on the centre line and block the path

into the middle for the team with the last stone.

So a little bit of work to be done here already for Team Mouat.

Yeah, and it's a very long guard, too.

Big distance between them with the swing there is in the ice.

That isn't really acting as much of a guard.

Even if Mouat got one round behind he'd be able to play a quiet way

Didn't quite curl as much as he'd have liked but got a result.

Mm, I think the sweeper's just a little bit keen there on that one.

Just took it those few inches extra that weren't required.

If he can get past the guard, though.

Just down-weight maybe, do you think, Logan?

We saw a couple of takeouts in the first end really take off

Yeah, just the same thing happened there again.

An aggressive call here from Bruce Mouat.

Going to try and draw another one in here.

I wasn't sure whether it was a guard or a short one he called.

Something definitely kind of covering the inside of

So they're looking for this one to curl right across

It looks like they need something, looking for it in the kind

Right, don't need to miss it completely, but...

Depends what Murdoch does with this one whether it was right or not.

Still room there to get in with a quiet weight,

get to the nose or even just stay inside of the red Mouat stone

It's one of those ones actually, I'm not a huge fan of that call

but I don't know what the right call was there...

No, exactly, and I kind of go along with you.

There wasn't really a very good one, was there, for him?

The stones were sitting quite awkwardly.

Yes, it's difficult to say if that was the right

time to push the button, but with this result,

I think Team Murdoch have a chance to take the upper hand.

There's no hit, of course, on the red in the centre...

Sorry, the yellow on the centre line there and roll in behind the guards

because it would jam on their own stone, so just having

Don't have last stone so can't afford to have too many

And have to roll away from the cover.

But hopefully keep it to beat the other yellow,

Oh, they'd love to stick around till lie two here but it's just

It might be on the rings but it's certainly not beating

Scott Andrews could play a takeout to lie two here but that would place

both of their stones behind the T-line.

That red at the back is really not a worry

That's something that can be removed later.

It's not in front of the T-line, more importantly.

Something it can maybe rest against later on.

Actually comes right out the other side.

Chris, now, and his team will be able to play down the right-hand

side as we look at it, round the outside of

He is looking like following it in, though, Logan.

Seen that, so won't have to worry about this one staying out.

I think the deciding factor is definitely that we have seen

a few stones coming down this line that aren't completely

locked into coming round the other side of the guard.

Which looks like a more natural way to play the shot.

Playing a little bit of a dangerous game now,

Which is fine as long as you keep making the shots

but when you don't have last stone, if you just miss one

Trying to move that red stone just played.

A huge swing, as we know, does it get punished?

There's nothing between that stone and the stationary guard.

But they really pile in with that draw, don't they?

It still was going at some angle and the curl was taking it.

Once again, without the last stone, just struggling to string

Kind of one made shot and then one missed one.

That's why they are finding themselves in these

Those three yellow stones on the right-hand side

Now a chance for Team Murdoch to lie three or maybe even four.

Certainly give him three, it could be four.

I think that's the shot that Bobby was indicating there.

There aren't even any really good multiple takeouts, I don't think,

I think he's going to have to draw his way out of this if he's

Well, he pretty much did that in the first end, didn't he?

He's going to have to do that again here but you wouldn't like to be

in this position every time that you don't have the last stone.

Because you only have to fail once and the game

starts to slip from you, so four stones to come.

May need another good one after this as well.

Certainly needs to exercise that in this end.

Not enough curl and already seen them make a couple of nice

takeouts down this line, Team Murdoch.

Yeah, I think the takeout's not necessarily worrying Murdoch,

it's where he's going to leave the shooter.

Confident he's going to be able to get rid of this one.

But they want to try and get the shooter into good position

Certainly if he can get rid of the red, avoid the back yellow,

the one furthest back, he could certainly

Just got to watch this back one here.

You know, that's almost the best shot.

They're certainly looking for a big end, and why not, of course?

It means they have to dice a little bit with the guard.

But as we've seen before, once these stones in this

in-turn start to go, they really take off.

So a lot of weight control required here.

The amount of curl very dependent on the weight thrown.

Played the shot a little bit better, he wouldn't have got

These are the shots you really don't want to be playing as a skip.

You don't have the last stone lying five against now.

Courtesy of this shot by Dave Murdoch.

Just pushes it far enough as well, that wide red.

Good result for not a great shot, to be honest.

Good skipping there by Greg Drummond, to steer the object

Now, these are the ones you don't want to be throwing every end

They've got to make sure they get it fast.

Some sweep there by Cannon not to get that to there.

They've had a few of those today, really going

Well, we see the resigned look on Bruce Mouat's face there.

I think it may be three and a draw for four.

I think if he makes this draw three in a measure,

I wouldn't expect David Murdoch to miss an eight-foot draw for three.

And he's met a little bit of comeuppance here so...

Murdoch, anyway, needs to make this draw.

I've got a feeling it looks like four.

The super's indicating that it's all there.

Well, think he's made that one comfortably.

The umpire will come on and decide whether it's three or four.

It's difficult to tell from here but certainly looks like yellow.

Sets the lever down below so it deflect the dial a little bit.

Well, it didn't deflect the needle at all so that

meant it didn't touch it, so that's certainly yellow.

Some good play from Murdoch, some aggressive, chancy play

from Mouat not playing off, paying off, rather.

Well, the crowd at the Dewars Centre here in Perth are loving this final.

Plenty of action still to come, but let's take a brief hiatus

and find out just exactly what makes these two skips tick.

I'm David Murdoch, I'm the skip of Team Murdoch.

My name is Bruce Mouat and I'm the skip for Team Mouat.

Being in Perth for the Scottish Championships

We're all quite young, we've just come out of juniors.

Going to a world championships in Canada would be one

of the biggest kind of achievements in our sport, really.

It's going to be a real tough game against Bruce.

You know, the Scottish final's always a lot of pressure,

a lot at stake, and those guys have been doing well.

The World University Games Championships recently.

This is a new team that we formed this year.

We're the University team so we went to the University games at the start

of this month and we actually won the gold medal.

It's three years since the Olympic Games.

Sochi just, you know, it changed everything for our lives.

Realising the dream of getting a medal.

Just, you know, everyone noticing us down the street,

down our local clubs, people being inspired by us,

You know, so much interest in the sport.

So when I tell other people I'm a curler,

normally it's, is that, like, a full-time thing?

Normally it's trying to explain to people that you do

That opportunity to be at the Olympic Games stars here.

We need to win this tournament, we need to go to the world

Championships and do well, also gain points to get

So still a lot of work to do, a lot of challenges ahead.

A reminder that it's 6-2 to Murdoch as we rejoin

COMMENTATOR: So a corner guard again here for Gregor Cannon.

If you're going to be in there, you have to...

They've got around about the 80s, 85, Logan, I would have thought,

so that's what they'll be looking at this kind of standard

And I think what we're seeing is that Team Mouat is making a few

less shots along the way and probably falling a little

bit lower than that, so around the 70% mark.

Which is quite unusual for a third player.

It's just the kind of style of game that skip Bruce Mouat has

Trying to get this one right round behind.

So they've got one at the front of house one

Because there's no run back there, the way the two

No chance one of them could go back onto that one.

I'm sure the one in the front is reasonably well frozen.

I'm sure Greg Drummond will throw a big weight here.

Before they get rid of the red and at least one of the yellows.

Might even see quite a few stones leaving the premises here.

Only just got that one out the rings.

I think they were a little bit more cute with that one

If he takes the double he can lie two but he's going to set up

a reasonably straightforward front to back double for Murdoch.

Thinks it's too early to do that so we're going to really

try to replace that red just picked off by Drummond.

So quite a nice angle on those two stones at the front of the house

Very much just leave a double takeout on the two yellows,

which is something that they may well have to do later on.

I'm not sure we're getting that out of there, actually.

I'm not sure we're getting this going.

Like, say you came there, not terrible.

The good thing is this wee tap, tap, tap, this now aligns with this.

Just trying to rearrange this a little bit.

Obviously doesn't like it at the moment the way these two

So he's going to play a tap of red, to yellow, to yellow,

the back yellow one biting the button, which will hopefully

leave the other red and yellow lined up on the red on the back.

Deftly got enough weight here to move things around.

I think that's pretty much exactly what they were looking for.

That was well thought out, wasn't it?

That big line of stones from the front there,

yellow, red, yellow, the second yellow one goes

on the red at the back of the four foot, or into the 8-foot, anyway.

So Murdoch was trying to make sure that happened.

Well, it's changed things round hugely,

I think Mouat has to be careful now, obviously setting things up,

trying to hope to get a multiple steal, but what he can't afford

to do is give up more shots to Dave Murdoch.

I think he's got to do something here, make sure he can at least

They're definitely going to try to get some granite flying here.

I quite liked the suggestion that Bobby Lammie had there,

to just try and tap that stone that's in the short position.

It's a more difficult shot but it may have had more reward, anyway.

That was always going to happen, really.

It could make it interesting to see if he does rush

He can play a controlled weight, he can get a hit on it and roll over

Even if he gets the nose hit, loses the back one...

They couldn't have got that one any better.

They've completely closed off the right-hand side of the house.

Bruce Mouat's going to have to play a bit of an adventurous one here,

He called Bobby Lammie to freeze the yellow stones there.

It looked really good, but in fact, the shot that Murdoch played

It might not do that again in similar circumstances.

They are going to try to raise the red stone in the house

That's the nominated shot, the one just next

Looking for round about a half-stone contact here.

Very high level of difficulty on this one, to get both the line

We've seen it run a little bit straight over on this side at times.

Five tariff shot, executed perfectly.

The reward, unfortunately, is just a single point.

Gives away the last stone, but reduces the deficit.

So after four rounds, it is Murdoch six, Mouat, three.

2016 World Junior Champion Bruce Mouat fighting back, then.

5,000 miles away in South Korea, the 2017 edition of

A Scotland team of skip Cameron Bryce, third,

Robin Brydon, second Ewan Kyle, and lead Fraser Shaw made it

But they ran out of steam against Norway, going down 3-10

in just eight ends to miss out on a medal.

Before we focus on the final stages of this match, let's have a look

With four players in a team, each has an individual role.

Let's find out about them from some of the Scottish curlers.

And the lead plays the first two stones of the end.

And that's basically, once you've decided your strategy,

with your team, it's my job to set it up, to set up the structure

for us to be able to execute that strategy.

I played the third and fourth stones straight after the lead.

They are now trying to produce some opportunities for you,

get round the guards, set up a few shots.

So they stand on the head while I'm throwing my stones as skip.

I'm third, so I play the fifth and sixth stones of the end.

I do sweeping as well for the lead and second stones and then,

when the skip plays her stones, I go up and hold the brush.

I'm actually between line calling, shot playing and sweeper.

The skip has to be the guy that has a good day.

If your skip isn't doing well, you're not winning the game.

As skip, my role is to call the tactics in the game.

I will throw the last two stones in the end,

They usually either win you games or lose you games.

I guess the last decision would come down to myself.

If you make the shot then you've won the game,

but if you miss that shot, you have lost.

So it can be quite a lot of pressure, being a skip.

It's the fifth end and Murdoch has a three shot advantage.

Even at this early stage, Bruce Mouat and his team will be

conscious that that they need to move these yellow stones

a couple of times, really, to get into a shot scoring position.

So, at least that's started to be a possibility.

Couldn't have done much more, really.

Now it's clean-up time, just with a single peel.

Scott Andrews looking to remove the high one,

So we're onto the second player's stones and the free guard zone rule

The free guard zone rule really helps the team

who are losing in the game, gives them a

chance to come back in by allowing them to play into that white area

And know that the opposition won't remove it

Trying to make the guard here get it back again, got to

Yes, we can see the one tighter to the rings, which is

the one that is potentially hurting Team Murdoch.

It's open so Scott Andrews is going to remove that one.

Yes, Gregor being punished there really for not getting

You won't see Scott Andrews miss too many

They're going to draw around that stone just played with...

Not too worried about guarding the stones

It's a more usable guard for the skip stones.

Yes, one tighter to the rings, takes a bit of

Yes, trying to find a balance there really of hiding some of it

but also keeping it close to the centre line

Still need a miss here from Greg Drummond, though.

Well, Mouat running out of stones here in this fifth end and

lying two against, so just considering whether this is the time

to make a move to try again to a shot position.

What about nose at, like, barrier, and

Going to spill this on the edge of aid. It is going to be a barrier

weighed. Slightly down weight. Just have to get the nose of their own

one and take one of the others out. Two reds in the ring. One of the

others could spill. It stays in the rings, though. Probably didn't have

too many other options, though. The other stones not lying in a great

position. The important thing about the final result was to leave the

two red stones sell with no real takeout possibility, and they

managed to do that. OK, Greg Brom and will move the red and try to

hold the shooter. The skip told him it would be fine. -- Greg Drummond.

There are, there. High. Did very well, there. Missed the back one,

just. Great shot from Greg Drummond. Perfect shot, really. Team Murdoch

lying two here. This is how they did it. Just misses that one on the

button and rolls into a really nice position. This is the difficulty

with that guard being so long and not on the centre line, there is no

real bailout draw for team Malik. -- team Mouat. Having to gamble to get

stones in play. On the other side of the coin the yellows end up in the

rings and they are looking at a two which would not be great for the

cause of Team Mouat. Just going to try a little hit and roll, in front

of the other? Trying to do something a little bit fancy, here. Going to

try to pick the second shot Denly, and roll onto the three across the

bottom. Very, very high difficulty shot. And the miss still leaves two

yellows. You've got to think that Team Murdoch smell blood once again,

here. Well, it can often happen when the

team is down, having to take on a gamble, taking on these shots, and

if you're just not firing perfectly, which is probably what you move into

that trouble in the first place, not surprising they don't come off. --

probably why you move. Anything but this. We can see he

doesn't want to roll just a bit to the right, as we see it there, to be

in front of his own first stone. Because that would give Bruce Mouat

something to freeze up against and some cover. Would obviously like to

keep this shooter in the rings. Towards his right. Keep three stones

in play but leave the middle wide open. So Murdoch's first. In the

fifth end. Not exactly where he was going for

but they got away with it. Certainly lies three. What are they going to

do with this? They are not lined up well from out

here, are they, Logan? There's definitely an opportunity to remove

all three. Hit the top run across the base of the one on the bottom,

then they will quite easily get them all going. But this freeze is really

their only opportunity to make a steel, which you feel even at this

early stage might well be required. Having said that, the freeze goes

wrong and they lose a three or a four, looking pretty bleak, isn't

it? I guess they need to weigh up how

much more difficult is that draw than the takeout, really. Probably

more reward in the core. Slightly more difficult shot. A real key

point in the match here, just going into half-time. And they know they

can't really afford to fall any further behind. So it looks like

they are giving it everything and the kitchen sink on this one. Where

not even hearing that, we? Not really, no. We are not. Three

losses, had to survive a tie-break previously. They won but the one

against Brewster 6-4. So certainly taken a lot. But certainly need to

make this one if they want to keep their hopes alive of taking Team

Murdoch. Hard line! Long guard looks a bit of a nuisance but they will be

too tight anyway. Ooh, just sneaks by. Has it got the running, though?

He's in for second shot. A good bit of sweeping to get it that far. A

passer-by absolutely nothing and then swept it really well to get it

in for second shot. It does look like quite a straightforward shot to

school three here, but now that long guard is in a bit of an annoying

position for David Murdoch. Should be able to peel it out quite easily

but they do need to give it a bit of extra attention. The danger is the

straight jam. That could give them one, which clearly doesn't want to

do, so he looks like he's going to actually play it off his own. Take

his own yellow hearthstone. Might end up only getting a two but gives

him a good buffer to extend the lead from three to five. A bit of a

veteran call here! I think so. He's probably seen it all before and

thinks, no problem. Not even going to take the chance of that

happening. Knows the scoreboard, knows where he is, knows what he has

to do. And he's going to keep the other one as well.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE So Team Mouat have to gamble a

little bit. Not making all the shots. Another three go on the board

and that lead is getting pretty large. Fifth end break coming up and

it's 9-3. When they came back after the break,

Mouat struggled to turn things around. He blanked the sixth end to

keep the hammer, and in the seventh, he could only claim a one. So

moderate clip by five going into the eighth and we pick up again with

Drummond's second stone. -- so Murdoch leads by five.

COMMENTATOR: They wanted list top of the T line. Not even going to be

shot. All of a sudden a bit more interest here for Team Mouat.

Still fully focused on the job in hand despite this large lead David

Murdoch has. Can Bruce Mouat get a good one here in the rings, get it

covered? Struggled a bit withdraw weight in this game. Started off

magnificently. -- struggled with draw weight. Since then, been a bit

awry with these. This is coming deep as well. It's going to be second

shot, though. Give them room for another one. When David Murdoch

misses this one, you mean? Or they hit and roll of it! So, Murdoch

facing two. So just three to come here in this

eighth end. Two for Murdoch and one for Bruce Mouat.

Line's good! Still good! Line's good! Hard! Hard! Not sure if it's

past the front one. I think it is. Just rubbed it. Just about gets to

where he was aiming for, mind you. Really nice shot. Kills two of those

red stones in there and just one to come from Bruce Mouat. So Greg

Drummond giving that once somebody English as it went by! Pretty much

find the perfect spot in the end. So that game plan for Bruce Mouat of

making Team Murdoch face them and it will just be a follow it down job

here. A lot of weight and a lot of line on this one. Heavy with his

first one and even heavier with this one. So you have to say is a poor

shot from Mouat. Well, Murdoch lies one. Got to get it effort, even to

spare two. The fat lady may well be about to sing here. She's warming

up, that's for sure. Well, they've already achieved their object for

the end. You think that would be enough to seal the deal for Team

Murdoch to become the 2017 Scottish champions and the representative

team for Scotland at the world Championships in Edmonton in April.

So, final stone of the eighth end for David Murdoch. Looking pretty

happy with it. So is it going to be one or two?

Just the one. And the offer of a handshake from Bruce Mouat and team.

And a smile on David Murdoch's face. And why not? We have our champions.

The men's curling champions 2017. David Murdoch, Greg Drummond, Scott

Andrews and Michael Goodfellow. And of course their

coach, Ian Tetley. A thoroughly professional

and workmanlike performance. Experience prevailing over

the youth of Bruce Mouat. David, first Scottish

title since 2013. And clearly, you are very,

very happy about it. There's so many good

teams in this event. And it's a marquee event

for Scottish curling, and there's a lot at stake this

year, and I'm so proud of the guys. They've just put in so much hard

work leading up to this. Greg, give us a sense of just how

much work you actually did put in, because this is such an important

one for you to get back Yeah, the last couple

of years, we've had a tough So it was a challenge for us to put

the work in and get that little bit better in order to come here and try

and win this week. Also, this young team

you are playing against, the world University champions,

are coming into this competition in great form,

and lots of confidence, as well. You had to get into this game and do

well, right from the start. Yeah, we knew that Bruce

and the boys were going to come out of the blocks firing,

they came through the tie-breaker. They beat the defending champion,

Tom, they beat Kyle Smith. As you say, they are the World

University Games champions. They are going to be

at our toes for the next couple And, Michael, such a good thing

to see you guys back here. And the big hug you were giving

each other at the end, That was a lot of tension

being released there, I reckon. We've had an up-and-down season,

an up and down last couple of years, since the Olympics, so it really

meant a lot to get back in the World Championship

and represent Scotland, David, let's talk

about the Olympics. You had that silver medal,

of course, and you haven't So you're now going back,

you are going to go to Canada and you are going to be flying

the Saltire as well. There's no better place than playing

in front of a Canadian crowd. Huge crowds, super exciting,

and an opportunity for us. We have high expectations

and we want to continue our form going

into the World Championships. Congratulations, Scottish

champions 2017, Team Murdoch! You came into this in great

form, but they were in And they punished our

mistakes, for sure. But, yeah, I'm really

proud of my team. They've played awesome all week and,

yeah, I'm happy to be in the final, Great to be in the final,

but I guess an uphill battle for You lost a four in the third end

and, after that, it's just so Yeah, especially

against a team like that. You have to be on point just

to get two back in that. So we tried really hard to get

the two, but they just What will you take

from this final, and the fact that you managed to have such

a lot of success this week? We've all really focused

on getting this far and So it's just proved

that we can dance with So it was experience

which overcame youth. And a first taste of victory

for these men in their national That was the year before

they went on to take So, it's Team Murdoch who will be

heading over to Canada. It's the country where

David won the second We wish him and his

rink all the very From all of us here at the Dewars

Centre in Perth, thank you MUSIC: Can't Stop The Rock

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