British women for the second time.
When we were up five one, it looked like nothing could stop us. The Czechs were still almost a class better until five-two, but around the break the game changed a bit. We missed some of the last stones, we made mistakes in our guesses - we even overswept a well thrown last stone against the deuce and we didn't play three stones in a row in the tenth end. Still, with the last stone, we could have gone to the extra end, but a minor dirt on the ice changed the direction of the stone and the unfortunate run was completed. Adding to the bitter feeling, all the players were convinced that the Brits had lit and failed to concede an important stone in the ninth end and repeatedly fought back when sweeping stones in the circles. We had a chance to win, but we didn't. Finishing fifth is certainly a great achievement for Czech curling, and not just academic curling, but because we were so close to fighting for medals, it will take some time to turn our feelings into positive ones. The subsequent visit to the tea shop was interesting, with a tasting of different types of tea and a lecture about their origin. By the time we drank about the tenth or fifteenth cup, of yet another tea, we were getting a little dizzy, but it allowed us to forget for a while about the missed opportunity.
rnphoto by team and attaché