THE Irish women took the reigning world champions, Sherry Anderson’s Canadian team, to the last stone in an epic game last night in the round robin here in Geneva. The Canadians got off to a good start with a two in the first end but Ireland came right back at them with a super three in the second, with Irish skip Dale making an angled runback onto the only Canadian stone in the house.

This game of strategy and shot-making continued right up to the eighth end when Dale tried to get a gourd on the first shot behind the tee. It just needed to curl up half a stone to be lined up in front but left Anderson with an angle on a tricky double take out and stick against four for the game, which, like the double world champion she is, she made.