Swiss star Andreas Flammer showed his class on the ice again to land his fourth victory at the Glenfarclas Highland Week of International Curling.
Inverness Ice Centre was the stage for some sparkling action over six days and it concluded on Friday with a thrilling finale.
Graham MacKenna from Inverness made a guest appearance for Flammer’s champions, which also starred Alexandra Luscher and Serge Lusser against the side led by Craig Hamilton from Lanarkshire.
With a 7-5 lead going into the final end, Hamilton failed to get the two shots needed to secure an extra end and Flammer added another trophy to his collection, having been the champion skipper in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
In all, six countries were represented, with England, Canada, the USA and Norway also dazzling on ice in the Highlands.
Swiss ace will be back to defend title
Brenda Macintyre, the Highland Week of International Curling secretary, explained the champion will be joined by more competitors next March for the 57th edition of the event.
She said: “Some teams have already paid their deposits to return next year, including Andreas Flammer.
“Believe it or not, Andreas has been coming to this event for 20 years. It started for him when he came over and was curling with his father. He’s very much a regular.
“We also have a number of invites from teams asking to attend next year. The competition is going from strength to strength and we look forward to welcoming teams again next year.”
Spectators enjoyed live curling action
Macintyre felt the well-contested final was a fitting conclusion to several days of high-quality sporting action.
She added: “There was a high standard of curling throughout the week. It was dramatic because it came right down to the last stone to find the winner on Friday. It kept the spectators hanging on until the end.
“We had a good turn-out from the general public and it gave them the chance to see live curling.”
The popular week-long competition switched to Inverness in 1999 on the back of the rink in Aviemore closing.
The emphasis is always on fun, first and foremost, and was first run in 1967.
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