Scotland edge past USA and into world semis

 WARWICK Smith has booked his place in the World Championships semi-final after a nail-biting extra-end victory over the USA in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

NAIL-BITING VICTORY: Warwick Smith downs Pete Fenson to book Scotland's place in the semi finals at the World Championships

Smith, who captured victory at the Scottish National Championships last month to earn the right to lead Scotland in Italy, captured a 6-4 win over Pete Fenson to avenge his round robin defeat.

Victory also books Smith a semi-final clash with Norway's Torger Nergard with the victor going to on face Canada's Kevin Koe in the gold medal match.

Scotland in truth did their best to throw the match away and but for a few costly mistakes should have wrapped up victory earlier. However, Smith was happy enough to book a clash with Norway.

"I was just wondering how many times we had to win it!  We had total control and gave it back,," said Smith - the only skip to defeat Nergard in the round robin stages, having chalked up a 5-4 win in their opening clash.

"We had some slack shots we should never have had.  But it was a gritty performance at the end and we played the extra end well."

The USA opened the scoring with a single in the second but Smith leveled matters with a single of his own in the fourth.

Fenson was too heavy with his last stone in the fifth, to give Scotland a 2-1 lead, while Smith and co manage to restrict the USA to just a single in the sixth.

The seventh was blanked, but an error from David Smith in the eighth ensured Scotland could only secure a single rather than the double they were after.

The ninth saw the USA chalk up a double and take the lead after a costly Scottish error but Warwick Smith kept his composure in the tenth to force the extra end before wrapping up a 6-4 win.

Fenson could yet have the final say against Scotland in the bronze medal match if Norway book their place in the final and insisted he would be fully motivated to reach the podium.

"I guess we just go after the bronze now," he said. "We're happy to have a day to think about this."