THEY were underdogs going up against a team that had been virtually crowned champions before they had set foot on the ice.
But in the early hours of yesterday, Scotland's men's curling team saw off hot favourites Canada to bring home the world title.
The Scots beat the hosts and title holders in a nerve-jangling final that went down to the wire at the Moncton Arena in
New Brunswick.
Because of the competition's format, it was the third time Scotland had beaten Canada in the last three days of the competition – and it was sweet revenge after losing to them in last year's final in the United States.
The win sees the world title return to the home of curling – the first written references to it were made in the records of Paisley Abbey in the mid-16th century.
Over the past decade, the game in Scotland has enjoyed a high profile.
The men's team took the world championship in 1999 and again in 2006, while the sport found probably its widest audience in 2002, when the women's team, led by Rhona Martin, took gold in a gripping final at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
More recently, the Scottish women's team took the world junior championships gold last month. The national wheelchair team has also excelled, taking the world title in 2004 and 2005, and narrowly missing out on gold at the 2006 Turin Winter Paralympics.
Speaking after yesterday's victory, skipper David Murdoch, who also led Scotland to the 2006 title, described the win as a "fairytale".
He said: "There is no better feeling than winning in Canada – the audiences are so good and it's an amazing feeling.
"To win this way was just unthinkable. If you'd told me I'd beat Canada three times to win it, I wouldn't have believed you. It's just perfect."
Murdoch received his gold medal from the president of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC), Matt Murdoch, who just happens to be his father.
Congratulating the team on their win, Colin Grahamslaw, the chief executive of the RCCC, the sport's founding club, said: "It's an amazing result to beat the Canadian team, who hadn't been beaten in championship play for a year. This shows all the work the guys put in since winning silver last year has paid off.
"Scottish curling is in the spotlight more than ever, and we've got to capitalise on that.
"The lads deserve all the credit they get and I really do hope the public come out to give them a heroes' welcome when they arrive home."
Scot Hammy McMillan, who won the 1999 world crown, said:
"This was an excellent performance by the team.
Things are looking good now for the next couple of years, with the Winter Olympics coming along."
The full article contains 471 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
