Lockerbie curler Anna Sloan will head for next month’s World Junior Curling Championships (5-14 March) after helping team Muirhead, reigning World Junior Champions, to victory in the Scottish Junior Championships in Perth on Sunday. 

The team of Eve Muirhead (Perthshire), Vicki Adams (Stranraer), Sarah Macintyre (Highland) and Sloan were the favourites in the final against Hannah Fleming (Lockerbie) despite losing to them in the round robin earlier in the week.  They were more than a match for the first half of the game, with the score 4-4 after six.  Then Muirhead counted a big three.

Their victory secures a slot for the World Junior Championships, familiar territory for Eve Muirhead who has won the gold medal for the past two years. 

“It was great to win it,” said Sloan, who turned 18 last week. A year ago her own team lost to Muirhead in the final.  She swapped allegiance to the World Champion’s team in April. 

“We had one loss in the week when they (Fleming) outplayed us but we stepped it up a gear today and managed to beat them.

“It’s amazing to be part of such a great team and I’m really excited about the Worlds – we want to win it.”

Supporting Sloan for the past few years is the West of Scotland Institute of Sport.  Providing high performance expertise to Scotland’s potential world class talent, its expert teams work together to deliver essential support services locally in sports medicine, sports science, strength and conditioning, and career and lifestyle guidance.

“I do a Strength & Conditioning programme with the West of Scotland Institute of Sport twice a week and I have access to a psychologist and physiotherapist whenever I need it,” said Sloan.  “We also go abroad for competitions.  It makes a lot of difference.” 

The World Championships will not be the only major overseas event for Sloan this year.  Next Friday she head to Poland as part of the British team competing in the European Youth Winter Olympic Festival.