[ritchiebaby]

Scotland beat Latvia 9-5 after 9 ends to qualify for the Play-offs for the 3 Olympic Places. It looks as though the Scots are coming into form at the right time, as they once again led all the way, clinching the win with 3 shots in the 9th end.

Scotland now play Italy in the final game tomorrow afternoon, when the Italians need to win to progress. Italy would then finish in 3rd position above Scotland, both with a 5-3 record, but having won the game between the teams. Scotland would then only have 1 chance to qualify for the Olympics.

In the event of a Scotland win, they could move up into 2nd position, depending on the Korea v Czech Republic result, and have 2 chances to qualify. Italy would then tie with Latvia on 4 wins, but with Latvia having beaten Italy in that game, Latvia would move up to 4th and Italy would slip back to 5th and fail to qualify. Theoretically, if Japan and Korea both lose, a Scotland win would see them qualify for the Olympics in 1st position without playing another game.

All that supposition re-inforces the fact that each team has a lot to play for and it could be a nerve-wracking couple of hours for all the players.