Swiss men through to semi-finals of curling world championships
After a tense final match in the first round of the World Curling Championships in Lausanne, the Swiss men's team beat off tough opposition to win a place in the last four.
Skipper Andy Schwaller led his team to a narrow 5-4 victory over Norway and won the right to face Canada in the semi-finals which begin on Saturday.
After a poor start to the match, when the Swiss failed to win a single point in the first two ends, the Norwegians gave their opponents a chance to make up for lost ground during the third and fourth ends.
The men’s victory means the team now goes forward to represent Switzerland at next year’s Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
The Swiss women’s team, however, have little to celebrate after they suffered their ninth consecutive defeat in the championships, losing to Canada 11-5 in just nine ends.
Their embarrassing series of defeats in Lausanne leaves them languishing at the foot of the table, without a single point to their name.
They will take home little satisfaction in knowing that they have secured a place in the national record books with the worst ever performance by a Swiss team in the 23-year history of the women’s championships.
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