Team GB’s mixed doubles curlers moved to the brink of the Winter Olympics semi-finals with three matches still to play, as a statement victory over heavyweights Canada maintained their 100% record.
US honorary coach, hype man and rapper Snoop Dogg was not in the house on Saturday, but Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds made their own headlines, roaring into a 5-1 lead after just three ends before closing out a 7-5 triumph.
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The sense is six wins should be enough for a place in the last four and the British pair have already hit that mark to sit top of the round-robin standings.
Only the US – who GB play at 13:35 GMT live on BBC Two – had beaten Canada’s Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman so far. But the husband-and-wife team could not compete with childhood friends Mouat and Dodds.
Three points in the opening end set the tone – and sent a cascade of noise rolling down from the wooden bleachers in the quirky Cortina Curling Stadium – and a series of judicious shots ensured the Scots kept their opponents at arms length.
The GB pair led 5-2 at the halfway interval, before two more fabulous closing throws by Dodds left it at 7-3 with two ends remaining.
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Canada were done at that stage, and looked poised to concede as Dodds lined up a final stone to take a point in the seventh. But a rare overthrow instead gifted the them two and extended the contest.
Mouat and Dodds did not falter, though, blanking that final end to all but seal a semi-final spot.
[BBC]
