---

Czech Republic - Japanese. 12,30, Ostersund 2012

This is how the Czech women's juniors warm up before the match with the Japanese women (see picture)

rn

We have no advantage. First stone on the plan circle, almost on the tee. After five stones, the circles are empty and nothing to write home about. Tug-of-war for one stone in the circle. Continues the defensive approach applied by both teams. Yoshimura plays the last stone on the blank. Out turn clear. Zero. Moving on.rn

2nd end There is a pair of free stones in the circle. We're unfortunate to knock out the center guard, but the Japanese are also making mistakes. We have a second attempt at having two stones in the circles without guards. It was a series of failed stones and after that the Japanese have two better ones and we have a biter in the back. We play a hit and a small roll, but come out of the rings. Ido plays a draw to two better. No guards. Zuzka with her second plays a hit to the better of the pair, but ours goes out of the rings. Too bad, stay would have been useful. We're a little timid playing the stone in the back and need a stay. We're the best, but a stay hit is enough to give Japan a chance for a deuce. Three stones to go. Yoshimura rolls out and we have a chance to get rid of the threat of a deuce. That's great. We've got two beaters and the representative of the land of the rising sun plays a draw against deuce. It's Japanese one. 0-1.rn

3rd end: Ujihara plays a take out of one of our stones in the ring. There is a center guard and two of ours and one red in the circles, but nothing is completely behind the guard. After six stones, the Japanese are better off, though we have a shot rock. But Ujihara tries to knock it out with a rake. Excellent Eve - she slides out the red rock and we are completely hidden behind a pair of center guards. we could play a waiting rock in the form of an angle freeze to the side, but we opt for a freeze to a pair of rocks behind the center guards. We do have two, but one is free and maybe there's a double. Ido knocks one out and rolls to the side. We'll play Zuzka the same way, but we can also pass this to our opponent. We end up on the back nine and Japan plays a draw. 4 stones to go. Yoshimura is in the front circles. We're in danger of tapping back to Japan's one, which I don't think we can resolve. Iveta plays her first draw. And she plays it well. We're down to two and the Japanese are thinking. It wasn't a tap back, it was a slower run back. After that, we have one, and we can slide a red stone to our two or our three. Iveta, come on. That's great. We have a three, and our only fan, David Jirounek, is in the stands blowing hard on the whistle. 3-1.rn

4th end: Klara plays it to the center line, to the top of the four-foot line, and the Japanese don't play corner guard, they play take out. And they pass or move ours to the side and roll their rock out. We play a successful front circle. After a double by the Japanese two and our hit, our hitter is on the side and the jina kskoro is nothing. The Japanese play a bit of an unconceptual corner guard to the other side and he ends up on the deuce, or correctly. A clear attempt creates a corner guard on the other side and Ido goes behind it and plays it perfectly. We're in trouble. It's clear from the running back, but that's not a tragedy. We'll try and play it to red one. Five stones to go in the endgame. After a stay on a better stone, we have a better one and hope Yoshimura isn't perfect. We have a replay because Yoshimura rolls out. 'We need a stay so that Japan has to play against two. But unfortunately we miss and the opponent's skip has an easy draw to two. It's a deuce and the score is 3-3.

rn

5th end: Ishigaki has played the second stone into the circle and we try a roll behind the corner guard. but it's almost two metres. The stone doesn't go the right way, so Zuzka wisely picks up the throw and the stone ends up in the back of the circles behind the corner guard without touching anything. After a minute of hesitation, the Japanese choose the third option, which is the come around freeze. But they break on the guard. In the circles, the best Japanese is right of center, then there is ours behind the corner guard and there is one red in the front circles. We go behind the corner again and we're back again. After the Japanese freeze, Eva plays the same track again. We are again second behind the stone on the other side - that will come later. Like a carbon copy (for those who remember) out turn freezes except Zuzka's, which she turns over and the Japanese have two better ones. Ido with his second stone also overturns, so nothing has really changed. Zuzka's second stone comes out and it's a roll into a good position. Japan breaks it, but we're left with two of our better ones. We take a time out and after that we play come around from the right. unfortunately we are shorter and end up at the beginning of the circle. Japan plays an excellent stone which erases our two and we have to do the same. we are narrower and it's Japanese one in the end. Too bad. break

rn

6th endAfter the break, we see an uncharacteristic play: the Japanese woman plays center guard but ends up on the side. We make a great run, and the Japanese running back knocks ours away, and it's exactly right. After our good angle free, Japan tries again, but this time she slides her stones out and ours stays in the back of the ring. We add a draw and the Japanese can play a double. But it's just a roll in front of ours in the back circles. Eve knocks out the red and leaves another double for Ido, but it's not her fault, otherwise it couldn't have gone. Ido plays a successful double and we play stay on the side where there are no corner guards. After our successful stone, Japan plays a hit, but it's a roll out and we can go zuzka behind the corner guard, who is very open though. We are in the back circles and the whole stone is visible. 3 stones to go. We need a stay or a small roll. It's a stay and the end goes to a one or zero end. In the end, it's one for us. 4 to 4.

rn

7th end: Ujihara plays a soft take out to our stone on the tee line. super stone. Red is behind the guard just before the tee line. We're right by it, but the Japanese don't have to deal with it, they can just go for the second better one. Ujihara has played another brilliant stone. The Japanese have two behind the guard. We play a run back with a calmer weight and it doesn't come out exactly, but we have a freeze on one of the better stones and the situation is not so threatening. Ido is a bit long, so the situation around the middle doesn't change. Two Japanese and our freeze on one of them. In the back there is still a Japanese freeze on ours for a change. Two guards in front. We eagerly play a shift over our freeze, offering the Japanese a double, which they use flawlessly. They have three, and we play va bank first stone to Iveta - come around. We're short, but Yoshimura is afraid of this stone and takes a time out. Briefly: Scotland - Russia after seven ends 6 : 5, Sweden - Canada after seven 5 : 4. Japan played guard, quite well. We play a freeze on the tee line. Either or. I guess we didn't set up the shot well, so our half-court shot ends up on the tee line, but third in the order. Yoshimura is short on the tap back, so it's a red deuce. score 4 : 6.

rn

8th end: Sorry, but the restrooms are really far away here. Halfway through the end we have a stone in the circle not covered by a corner guard, there's a red one in the back. We play a second, but we end up in front of the circle. Ida plays a good roll and my opponent has two stones behind the corner guard. We try a freeze on the front. Very good. We're second and Yoshimura plays the second better. I think he's better. We're playing 11, but we're knocking ours out and the Japanese have three. The opponent's skip is short with the last stone and we have to draw to six feet for a one. Iveta has the weight and plays the tee line in a big arc with no problem. The score is 5 to 6.

rn

9th end: Ishigaki surprisingly chips our center guard, but misses. We're playing come around, but we're in full view. The Japanese go off and we play come around again, this time Eva is more accurate. The Japanese still get our rock out and go out with theirs. Eve again well behind center guard and the Japanese go to center guard. We're guarding again and Ida tries a double. She's a risk there. It's clear and we play center guard again. Stone doesn't get to the right spot and Ida successfully knocks ours out and the Japanese have two. We try a freeze, but we're short. Yoshimura plays into the circle and we push the red stone too far. Yoshimura slides ours out and the Japanese write for two. 5 to 8.

rn

10th end: we need three for the extra end. The start is about guards and chips and clears. After seven stones, there's one good corner guard, one bad corner guard. Now we're in extra circles instead of guards. The Japanese have red up front, we only have four stones. We're playing accurate come around. Japan clears and we play a guard we can't play anymore. It's still in play, but we don't have a chance. We're shaking hands and just counting how many we're going to have in the tie-break.