Murdoch to miss World Championships after crashing out of Nationals

DAVID Murdoch will not defend his world curling title after the British Olympic rink crashed out of the semi-finals of the Scottish Championships.

OLYMPIC HANGOVER: Scottish skip David Murdoch will miss the chance to defend his title after crashing out in the semi finals of the Scottish Curling Championships (Getty Images)

The 31-year old, who finished fifth at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver last month, lost to Glen Muirhead - elder brother of women's Olympic skip Eve - in Perth to see his hopes of going to April's World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo dashed.

Instead, Warwick Smith will skip the Scottish team after his rink of Craig Wilson, David Smith and Ross Hepburn defeated Muirhead 5-3 in the final.

Smith has skipped the Scotland team at the World Championships on four previous occasions, the most recent being in 2007 where his rink finished ninth.

While Glen Muirhead was unsuccessful, sister Eve quickly made up for her Olympic disappointment by sealing her spot at the Women's World Championships in Swift Current, Canada later this month.

The 19-year old skipped Scotland to gold at the Junior World Championships last year before making her senior World Championship debut later in the season, finishing eighth.

And after beating Gail Munro's rink 8-7 in Perth, the teenager secured a second World Championship berth.

"We're delighted to come back with the win here after Vancouver," said Muirhead, who finished seventh on her Olympic debut in Vancouver last month.

"Gail's team was definitely the better in the first-half but we kept our heads up and had a good second half.

"We've got to put Vancouver to the back of our minds. We always intended to come back and win the Scottish title - that's one job done. Now we move onto Swift Current and see how we go when we get out there."

Muirhead will be accompanied by the Olympic rink of Jackie Lockhart, Kelly Wood, Lorna Vevers and alternate Annie Laird, who proved her worth in Perth, having to lead in the final after Lockhart slipped and injured her knee.