Canada’s Bernard defeats Great Britain in extra end

 

Canadian skip Cheryl Bernard clinched first place in the women’s curling round robin Tuesday, pulling out another dramatic win.

Team Canada needed an extra end to defeat Great Britain and skip Eve Muirhead 6-5, despite stealing points in three straight ends following the fifth end break.  Leading by one point heading into the final end, Bernard missed a draw with her final shot, allowing Great Britain to steal one point.

Bernard was able to recover in the extra end and win the game by making an open hit with the last shot.

With the win, Canada’s record is 7-1.

The Canadian skip’s ability to make dramatic game-winning shots throughout the round robin should make her difficult to beat when the pressure is raised in the semifinals on Thursday.

Canada will face Mirjam Ott of Switzerland in one semifinal, after Switzerland clinched the final playoff spot by defeating Germany 4-2.  Bernard defeated Switzerland in the first day of round robin, but should face a more difficult challenge in the semifinal, as Ott has won five straight after dropping her first three.

2009 world champion Bingyu Wang of China will take on 2006 Olympic gold medallist Anette Norberg of Sweden in the other semifinal, after both teams clinched playoff spots with wins in Tuesday morning’s draw.

Wang made a takeout with her last shot in the 10th end to defeat the United States 6-5, and Sweden beat Japan 10-6.

The final draw will be Tuesday night, with Bernard facing Russia and Anna Sidorova, who have a record of 3-5.

About this article

By: John Matheson
Posted: Feb 23 2010 5:20 pm
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Filed under: Winter Games
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