Scotland are still among the leaders at the World Curling Championships in Canada after a closely-fought win over the hosts was followed by an 8-2 defeat by the Czech Republic.
After starting their campaign with three wins, Bruce Mouat’s rink faced Brad Jacobs’ Canada side and edged out one of the fellow favourites 6-5 after an extra end.
Mouat landed a crucial hit in the decider to maintain Scotland’s perfect start, only to lose their unbeaten record to the Czech rink a few hours later.
After nudging into an early lead in the second end, Scotland lost the next three and conceded three in the seventh to suffer their first defeat.
However, their 4-1 record is the joint best along with China, Norway, and Switzerland.
Their next match is against Italy at 21:00 BST on Tuesday.
The top six sides in the standings after the round robin stage qualify for the play-offs at the weekend.
Olympic qualifying points gained from last year’s championships will be added to this year’s final total, with the top seven sides gaining qualification for Milan-Cortina in 2026, along with hosts Italy.
Those who fail to secure their place will have another chance to do so via a qualifying tournament at the end of the year.
