Wed 18th April 2012 – Day 5
Both teams would like to thank everyone for the e-mail messages of support that they have been receiving.
MEN – IRELAND 8 SLOVAKIA 3
On ice that was tricky and frosty, the Irish Men’s Seniors team, sponsored by Albert Bartlett, kept their unbeaten record here in the World Senior Curling Championships in Denmark with a comfortable 8 – 3 victory against Slovakia.
After losing one against the head in the third end, the Irish team, led by Johnjo Kenny, played a really solid end to get three and then stole a two to cruise into a fairly comfortable 6-2 lead. So comfortable in fact that lead Tony Tierney, who was feeling a twinge in a thigh muscle stepped off the ice to let fifth man David Hume back into the heat of battle at the seventh end. David took his lead duties very seriously when throwing his stone through the back as requested to put pressure onto the Slovakians to score. The opposition did get back on the board with a one but they knew their time was up and decided to call it a day. The Irish still look good for a quarter-final berth on Friday but, as skip Jojnjo Kenny warned, they will concentrate on tomorrow’s game against Latvia first and foremost.
WOMEN – IRELAND 5 DENMARK 3
The Irish Women’s team, sponsored by Albert Bartlett, got back to back victories here at the World Senior Curling Championships when out-playing the home nation at the Tårnby curling rink during the lunchtime session.
The team curled a good solid game throughout what was, on paper, a fairly evenly matched challenge, and they seem to have taken on board the advise of coach Gordon McIntyre to up anti in both tactics and shot-making.
Singles were exchanged throughout most of the game and the ladies had the same problems as the men, playing at the same time on outside sheets with ice and/or stones. The women found a handful of stones suddenly losing or turning their handles on tricky ice.
They got a much needed piece of luck in the sixth end when the Danish skip played for a tap up on her own stone. Unfortunately for her, that shot was never going to come off at hack weight and Ireland stole a one. Another steal at the seventh meant that the Irish girls just had to follow the basic tactics rule book – throw lead stone through the back and peel the guards after that to keep the head clear. When the Danish skip hit and rolled out with her first stone she indicated that she wanted to shake hands.
Coach Gordon McIntyre said: ‘The team all played well today and I was delighted with their performance. They are on a won two lost two record and just have to keep up today’s level of play for their games tomorrow against Scotland and Finland.”