curling
Eve Muirhead's Scotland women lost their ninth round-robin tie in the Ford World Women's Championship 3-2 to Sweden but retained a slim chance of qualifying for a tie-breaker before results in the next session eliminated them from contention for the play-offs, writes Mike Haggerty in Lethbridge, Canada.
The tie against Sweden featured five blank ends – it was an indication of just how determined the Scots were to win and keep their campaign alive – before good Scottish play in the ninth forced Sweden to take 1. Scotland had victory in their hands when Muirhead came to play her last shot – she had to beat a Swedish counter lying at the back of the four-foot – but her draw came up millimetres short to let Sweden steal a single and win 3-2.
"I thought I'd played a pretty good last stone," said a shocked Muirhead. "When it comes down to a missed shot like that, it makes the skip feel pretty bad." Italy and Canada were to be their last last round-robin opponents and, as final ranking in the event will contribute to Olympic qualifying, they were far from meaningless.
cycling
Evan Oliphant slipped to 32nd place overall after the gruelling fourth stage of the Vuelta Mexico in searing heat and at high altitude, writes Colin Renton. The Team Raleigh man was 7 minutes 5 seconds down on the Colombian Alex Cano after the 199.5km haul from Pachuca to La Malinche.
He is one of three Scots to contest the Halfords Tour Series, which starts in Kirkcaldy on May 15. James McCallum, the Commonwealth Games medallist, will compete for Rapha Condor-Sharp and young Robbie Hassan will line up for Herbalife, new to the competition.
hockey
Grove Menzieshill may still be only a single point ahead of Milne Craig Western at the top of the women's Subway national league, but it is widely thought that the title race is over and the Taysiders will pick up their sixth straight championship in the next fortnight, writes Craig Madden. Wildcats are the visitors to Tayside tomorrow and it would be a major surprise if the champions-elect did not win comfortably.
Western must keep on winning to maintain the pressure but their coach, Neil Menzies, is certainly not hopeful of an upset in Dundee. He is, though, delighted with the performance of his Titwood youngsters who, after an indifferent start, have produced a run of 13 straight wins. Second spot would guarantee European competition next season for his youngsters who play host to Glynhill Kelburne at Titwood tomorrow. Third-placed Giffnock are still smarting from their surprise Scottish Cup exit at the hands of CALA Edinburgh on Sunday, and the sides meet again in Glasgow.
The relegation battle involves three sides, GHK have five points and have failed to win since the opening game of the season; Grange are a point better off but have lost their last four matches; while Wildcats have nine points but with a game more played. The meeting of Grange and GHK could clarify the issue, especially if the Edinburgh side triumph.
speedway
Andy Tully, the Edinburgh Monarchs No.1 rider, is aiming to end an eight-year wait for a Scottish-based winner in the Scottish Open at Armadale tonight, writes Nigel Duncan. The Isle of Man-born racer has already contested a New Year Classic at Newport and the Ben Fund against some leading Grand Prix riders.
Two of Tully's Edinburgh Monarchs team-mates are also in the field, Craig Cook and Theo Pijper, a former track record holder at Armadale. The former Monarchs No 1, Kevin Wolbert from Germany, who topped their averages last year and is now racing for King's Lynn in the Elite League, is also in the line-up along with two Glasgow Tigers men, James Grieves, who used to ride for Monarchs, and Josh Grajczonek. Rory Schlein, now with the Manchester-based Belle Vue Aces, was the last home winner in 2004.
FIELD. Scottish Open (Armadale, tonight) R Lawson (Workington), R Bach (Workington), J Grieves (Glasgow), O Allen (Peterborough), R Hall (Sheffield), T Proctor (Wolverhampton), K Doolan (Ipswich), M Lemon (Newcastle), T Pjiper (Edinburgh), K Wölbert (King's Lynn), D Sneddon (Edinburgh), U Ostergaard (Redcar), A Tully (Edinburgh), C Cook (Edinburgh), M Wethers (Edinburgh), J Grajczonek (Glasgow)
Volleyball
Audrey Cooper, the Great Britain women's coach who has been in the sport for almost 36 years, is to be an Olympic flame torchbearer, writes Roddy Mackenzie. Cooper, who grew up in Whitburn, is a former Scotland and England indoor internationalist, having switched allegiance when she lived in London and qualified on residential grounds.
She is Scotland's only Olympic volleyball player – she was ninth in beach volleyball at the Atlanta Games in 1996 with her English partner Amanda Glover – but several Scots are likely to be named in the men's and women's indoor teams as well as on the beach. After her playing days were over, Cooper went on to coach the England women's indoor team before being named assistant to Dr Lorne Sawula for Great Britain before taking over as head coach.
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