Having made their Grand Slam of Curling breakthrough by winning last season’s Masters Championship, Scotland’s Team Whyte made another statement on their first appearance in Canada this season with an unbeaten run to victory at the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard.
With Craig Waddell playing alongside Ross Whyte, Robin Brydone and Euan Kyle as he continues to stand in for the injured Duncan McFadzean, they made light of that change of personnel to come through the A route in the triple knockout format, then winning three knockout matches against strong opposition.
Their run featured two victories over Sweden’s seven time World Champions Team Edin, before they rounded things off by beating the USA’s top ranked line-up Team Dropkin in the final, fending off a strong challenge in the title decider after getting themselves into a strong position, 4-0 up after three ends.
“We felt in control in the final,” said Whyte.
“They came back fighting hard, trying to put a bit more pressure on us in the second half and we gave up a steal at five, where Korey played a great shot to pretty much lock it in a position that meant there was no way I could avoid giving up that steal.
“From that moment we knew we had to try to score in the sixth end and try to get back in control, which we did.”
Their score of two at that sixth end effectively shut the door on the Americans and a Scottish steal at the seventh wrapped up the 7-3 win and an impressive run.
With their strong run also including two wins over a local team skipped by Scott Howard, son of four-time World Champion Glenn, Whyte’s men looked to be right back to something approaching their very best as they look to build on last season’s achievements which saw them finish their 2024/25 campaign in fifth place in the world rankings.
“We’re very pleased with our unbeaten run here,” said Whyte.
“We had a lot of tough games out there against some Slam opposition and other great teams, so going through undefeated is a real confidence boost, because it’s never easy to do that, no matter what format you’re playing in.
“To do that this week, after the previous couple of competitions in which we didn’t feel as if we’d played our best is a great kick start to the season.
“A couple of wins against Edin was very nice.
“We know those boys can always play well and you always know you’re in a game as soon as you step on the ice with them, so we were very pleased with those performances, but for us it was also just another game, trying to get another win, trying to get further on in the competition.”
The skip also expressed satisfaction with the way Waddell has slotted into their set up as he looked ahead to another step up in standard at this week’s Shorty Jenkins Classic across the province in Cornwall, where they will meet compatriots Team Mouat, the reigning World Champions, in their opening match.
“Craig’s doing great and is contributing really well to our team,” he said.
“We knew that from the two competitions we played with him in previous seasons, so we knew that when bringing him in to help support the team and be a substitute for Dunc for a while.
“It felt like we’d be working out some new things, but we also knew it worked already, too and we’re very pleased with how he’s fitting in.
“He played absolutely brilliantly this week, made a ton of shots which set us up really well in all the games and the communication and team dynamic he brings are great as well.
“So, we’re feeling good going into Shorty Jenkins.
“Everyone’s sliding really well and throwing it great and we know it will be a tough event again, with a lot of strong opposition to play against, but we’re just looking to go out there and try to get as deep as we can.
“So we’re going to have a little bit of a celebration of this win, but then look to try to go out and have a good run out in Cornwall.”
With Waddell’s older brother Kyle having steered his team to the knockout stages in Oakville, the women’s event in Oakville also featured a strong run by their British Curling squad colleagues.
Rebecca Morrison, Jen Dodds, Sophie Sinclair and Sophie Jackson, who have been selected to represent Team GB in next year’s Winter Olympics, came through the A route to reach the semi-finals on their first appearance in Canada this season, while Team Henderson also reached the knockout stages before missing out in an all-Scottish quarter-final.
Team Morrison
Sophie Jackson
Rebecca Morrison
Jennifer Dodds
Sophie Sinclair
Team Henderson
Fay Henderson
Hailey Duff
Lisa Davie
Katie McMillan
Laura Watt
Team Whyte
Ross Whyte
Robin Brydone
Craig Waddell
Euan Kyle
Team Waddell
Kyle Waddell
Mark Watt
Angus Bryce
Blair Haswell
