Gb Wheelchair Curlers Lose Winter Paralympics Opener

Great Britain suffered disappointment pinch a 10-7 conclusion by Estonia successful their opening wheelchair curling round-robin lucifer astatine nan Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics.

The GB brace of Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean had trailed nan world bronze medallists 5-2 aft 4 of nan 8 ends successful nan inaugural mixed doubles tourney but pulled 2 backmost successful extremity 5 and scored 3 successful a superb sixth to put them correct backmost successful contention.

Estonia led 8-7 down going into nan last extremity and though GB had nan advantage of nan hammer successful nan last, they needed a double takeout but fell short to springiness their opponents victory.

This is nan first clip that location has been competitory action astatine nan Games up of nan opening ceremony, which will return spot connected Friday.

It fell to Butterfield, who is aiming to go nan first Briton to triumph summertime and wintertime Paralympic golds, and Kean to beryllium nan first members of nan ParalympicsGB squad to commencement their Games campaign.

The Estonia squad of Katlin Riidebach and Ain Villau took advantage of nan hammer successful nan opening extremity to return 2 but GB responded to level aft 2 ends, but they could person scored 3 only for a constrictive miss.

However, nan Estonians started to return power successful nan 3rd extremity pinch nan Britons having to activity difficult to trim their opponents to conscionable two, and acknowledgment to a bargain successful nan last extremity earlier nan break Estonia built a 5-2 lead.

But GB started nan 2nd half of nan crippled powerfully and took advantage of nan hammer to make it 5-4 earlier an correction by Riidebach and a well-weighted chromatic by Butterfield near them starring for nan first clip successful nan match.

A beardown seventh extremity by Estonia allowed them to sneak up erstwhile more, and successful a nervy climax they put successful immoderate bully activity to person 2 stones successful nan location astatine nan extremity which GB were incapable to woody with.

The British squad will proceed their programme against South Korea, who mislaid their opening crippled 7-5 to hosts Italy, connected Thursday astatine 09:05 GMT, earlier taking connected Latvia astatine 18:05.

Latvia were beaten 11-6 by nan United States successful their opener, while China were comfortable 10-3 winners complete Japan successful nan day's different game.