Morrison having 'more fun' without skip responsibilities

European Curling Championships

Venue: Lohja, Finland Dates: 16-23 November

Coverage: Watch selected Scotland games live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app

Scottish curler Rebecca Morrison says she has found competing "a bit more fun" since Sophie Jackson took on skip responsibilities.

The team - that still bears Morrison's name - open their European Championship campaign in Finland on Saturday, as they take on Sweden and Denmark.

Morrison, 28, led the rink at last year's event in Aberdeen - where they finished fifth - but Jackson will have that duty this time round, after they decided to make the switch earlier this year.

"I am no longer skipping but I will still be playing the last stones, so it just means that Sophie Jackson who plays the lead stones is now skipping," Morrison said.

"It is quite nice for me. I get to have more time with everyone else to reset once a new end begins. I find it a bit more fun and Sophie leads the team really well.

"I have noticed that coming into this competition, I feel a lot more settled a lot quicker than I have done in previous years so that is a great feeling.

"I think as the last stone thrower there is a lot of pressure but we have been to the Euros twice before now and you definitely settle in to it as time goes on."

Morrison - who led Scotland to European bronze in Sweden two years ago - believes the team are starting to see the benefits of their decision to change skip.

"We made that change in the summer. There are multiple reasons why - Sophie is really great tactically, she calls the game brilliantly. I think it is also just a personality fit, maybe I am better being around everyone more often and not left to my own, whereas Sophie maybe handles being alone quite well.

"It obviously takes a little bit of time to settle into new roles, but we have been doing it for a few months now so we are starting to really see its benefits.”

It is not just European glory that is on the line in Finland; a top-eight in the men's and women's competitions would secure Scotland's place at next year's World Championships.

"Every game counts," Morrison added.

"We definitely are improving, this season on paper sometimes our results haven't necessarily been what we hoped for but we are playing better all the time. It will be really good to test it out at the Euros this week."