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LE GRUYERE EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009, Aberdeen, Scotland

12 DECEMBER 2009 – DAY 8 – Men’s Final

Niklas Edin made a triumphant debut at this level when he led his Swedish men’s team to a 6-5 extra- end victory over Switzerland’s Ralph Stöckli in the final of the Le Gruyère European Curling Championships in Aberdeen on Saturday.

Niklas and his team – , and Viktor Kjall – blanked the first end before scoring three in the second. The Swiss responded with two points in the third end and Sweden moved into a 4-2 lead with a single in the fifth.

Switzerland levelled the score in the sixth end and did so again in the tenth to tie the game at 5-5 and force the extra end. In that end, Edin made last stone advantage count and finally scored the one he needed for victory with a precision hit and stay around a front guard.

“It feels very good to be going home with the trophy. There was no particular shot that won us the game, it was the whole game,” said Edin after the game. ”We got off to a good start with a three but we had to play a good shot to win.”

“The team played so well.” added Edin “At the beginning of the tournament, we struggled but we played really, really well for the play-offs.”

“We had a really great week,” said Swiss Skip Markus Eggler. “We had six wins in a row, but for sure it’s disappointing when you lose the final game in an extra end. I think they are winners who should be congratulated.”

Men’s Final Standings: 1. Sweden – GOLD (9-2) 2. Switzerland – SILVER (8-4) 3. Norway – BRONZE (8-3) 4. Scotland (7-4) 5. France (6-4) 6. Germany (5-4) 7. Denmark (5-6) 8. Czech Republic (3-7) 9. Finland (2-8) – down to B Division for ECC 2010 10. Italy (0-9) – down to B Division for ECC 2010

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Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Scotland, France, Germany, Denmark and Italy (as host nation) qualify for the Capital One World Men’s Curling Championship 2010 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy next April.

Men’s B Division 1. Netherlands – GOLD - up to A Division for ECC 2010 2. Russia – SILVER - up to A Division for ECC 2010 3. Hungary – BRONZE

Event website and live scoring, statistics and results: www.ecc2009.co.uk

Extensive Video on Demand coverage on Eurosport Player CLICK HERE

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