Rebecca Morrison was proud of her team’s performance despite missing out on a semi-final spot at the European Curling Championships at Curl Aberdeen.
Morrison’s rink, who won bronze in the event last year, suffered a 9-7 defeat against Norway in their final round robin game to narrowly miss out on a place in the last four.
Rebecca Morrison picked the perfect line to keep her team in contention for a semi-final spot, but a fraction too much weight on her final delivery saw it bounce off the Norwegian shot stone to end the host nation’s bid for a medal in the women’s event.
It was all the more painful for the Scottish skip who was playing in front of friends and family at the venue where she was introduced to the sport as an eight-year-old and had hoped to at least match her medal winning performance of a year ago.
They had gone into the meeting with Norway knowing that the winners would be assured of a semi-final spot, while even in defeat the Scots might also have squeezed through had Sweden lost their final round-robin match to Turkey, but in the end both results went the wrong way for the home team.
The meeting with Norway was a topsy-turvy affair with both teams creating opportunities throughout, but ultimately it came down to that one final stone.
“It was a really tough shot, but I was just determined to give it my all,” said the Scottish skip.
“I gave it a shot, but just played a little too much weight at it, which is something that can creep in when you’ve got all those nerves building up inside you, but that’s a learning loop for us.
“It felt very tight all the way through the game.
“We didn’t start off our strongest, but then we managed to come on to our game and get a steal of three in the fourth end.
“That felt brilliant and we felt really positive after that, but then they came straight back with a three and it was one of those games that was going back and forth… a bit of a rollercoaster.
“It was a tough game, but well fought.
“I felt that nerves could have come into it a bit for both sides.
“Personally, I didn’t feel it until the later stages, but that 10th end was definitely very nerve-wracking because the further the game goes on the more nerve-wracking it does get, but I’m sure with a bit more experience we’ll deal with those situations a lot better.”
A tight fixture ended in Norway's favour with a single steal in the 10th end. 🤝
Scotland finish fifth in the standings and just miss out on the play-offs. Well done to Rebecca, Jen, Gina, Sophie, and Sophie. 👏
Please visit @BritishCurling for more ▶️ https://t.co/M05ba47Vgt pic.twitter.com/SOaX1dWBcq
— Scottish Curling (@scottishcurling) November 23, 2023
Positives to take from event
With Olympic champion Jen Dodds having joined the established quartet of Morrison, Gina Aitken, Sophie Sinclair and Sophie Jackson this season, they finished on the same record of five wins and four losses that was enough to get them through a year ago when they went on to claim a bronze medal on their debut at the Euros.
However, Morrison reckoned that they had demonstrated considerable advancement in the year in between.
“You know coming into the week that a five and four record could make it and it might not, so it’s just one of those things that you know you have to get the six wins to be guaranteed and we just didn’t,” she said.
“The thing is, whilst we haven’t medalled, we’ve made huge improvements from last year and I’d say it’s a much better team out on the ice than it was last year, so I’m really proud of the team’s performance and we’ll look forward to the rest of the season and hopefully the World Championships.”
She also re-stated her belief in the innovative approach her team is taking this season, with all five players regularly taking to the ice during tournaments which represents a change to the conventional approach of having a settled quartet and inviting a player from another team to help them out as alternate for major championships.
“Every player out there deserves to be on the ice, so I’m glad we’ve done what we’ve done this week,” said Morrison.
“The people on the bench are still working hard throughout every game and having the same five players through the season means we don’t have someone new coming in as an alternate and having to learn our processes, we just know each other inside out.
“In terms of results and the team’s performance I’m super-proud of the team and really glad to see how far we’ve come since last year.”
A ‘fabulous’ venue for curling
She also took enormous pride in the staging of the championships at a venue she knows so well.
The Aberdonian added: “I would have loved to have made the fans proud, that’s for sure, so I guess that did add to the pressure, but it also really spurs you on when you’ve got your fans in the crowd, so it’s a mixture, but Curl Aberdeen is like home to me so this is really special.
“I’m so pleased that I got to play in a European Championships here.
“Curl Aberdeen has put on such an amazing event. It looks just like we’re in an arena, which is fabulous.
“The ice conditions have been brilliant, so we couldn’t have asked for much more from the event.”
