Winter Olympics: GB mixed doubles curlers defeat Australia after extra end
- Published
Winter Olympics: GB's Bruce Mouat & Jen Dodds beat Australia in deciding end
24th Winter Olympic Games |
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Hosts: Beijing, China Dates: 4-20 February |
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button and online; listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds; live text and highlights on BBC Sport website and mobile app |
Great Britain's mixed doubles curlers Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat survived an inspired Australia fightback to maintain their semi-final hopes at the Winter Olympics.
Leading 6-1 and then 8-6, the British pair were pegged back in the last end to force a decider.
After Mouat's take-out in the extra end, Australia's Tahli Gill missed her draw to give Britain a nervy 9-8 win.
They now have a record of three wins and one defeat in Beijing.
Only the top four sides at the end of the group phase will get the chance to play for a medal, with Britain sharing second place.
Mouat and Dodds play twice more on Saturday against the Czech Republic (06:05 GMT) and leaders Italy (12:05), with the first round scheduled to finish on Monday, the same day as the semi-finals begin.
Britain were in control on the scoreboard early on after a missed take-out shot allowed Dodds to draw in perfectly for three to put them 6-1 in front at the halfway point.
From there it was an uphill task for the Australian pair, who had lost all four of their previous matches, but they hit back strongly.
Using their powerplay - where the starting stones are moved wide rather than down the centre - to open the match, Gill and Dean Hewitt scored five in the next two ends to dramatically draw level.
Britain again looked set for victory when Dodds drew into the house to establish a two-point lead, with just one end to play.
However, Australia used their final-stone advantage to secure a decider.
But, having let the game slip from his control, Mouat did not panic and completed the take-out that forced the crucial error from Gill with the penultimate stone.
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