Muirhead, Edin qualify for Champions Cup
Scotland’s Eve Muirhead and Sweden’s Niklas Edin captured gold medals at the Le Gruyere European Curling Championships Saturday in St. Gallen, Switzerland, to earn berths to the Humpty’s Champions Cup.
Muirhead defeated Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg 6-3 in the women’s final while it was a four-peat for Edin on the men’s side doubling up on Scotland’s Kyle Smith 10-5.
The Humpty’s Champions Cup is the season-ending Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling tournament and runs April 24-29, 2018, at Calgary’s WinSport Arena. Fifteen men’s teams and 15 women’s teams who have won high-profile titles over the course of the season receive invitations.
Full event passes are now available for the Humpty’s Champions Cup! Visit Ticketmaster.ca to purchase your tickets today!
Muirhead claimed her second career European Championships gold — and first since 2011 — breaking a 3-3 tie with a single in the eighth end and stealing back-to-back points in nine and 10.
Hasselborg, who also finished runner-up at the tournament a year ago, opened with the hammer but was limited to singles in the first, third and seventh ends. Muirhead scored a single in two and a deuce in six.
Muirhead is flanked by third Anna Sloan, second Vicky Adams and lead Lauren Gray.
Meanwhile, Edin started with a deuce in the first and stole one in the third before Smith mirrored taking two in the fourth and swiping one back in five to tie it 3-3.
Smith forced Edin to a point in the seventh end and split the rings for a deuce in the eighth to pull ahead 5-4.
Edin responded with a couple points in nine to reclaim the lead 6-5 as he sat one pesky stone at the back 12-foot circle that Team Smith just couldn’t quite pull off double takeouts to eliminate.
The pressure was on in the 10th as Smith faced four counters and needed to hit the four-foot circle to force an extra end, but his rock rolled heavy right through the quad.
Edin, who earned his sixth career and fourth consecutive European Championships gold medal, is supported by third Oskar Eriksson, second Rasmus Wrana and lead Christoffer Sundgren.
HUMPTY’S CHAMPIONS CUP FIELD
NOTE: If a team wins more than one of the events listed (e.g. Team Gushue claiming the Tour Challenge Tier 1 and Masters) the winner of the next ranked World Curling Tour event based on strength of field will receive an invitation.
