Perth’s Holly Wilkie-Milne admits it is “absolutely surreal” to have booked a spot at the top table of junior curling.
Wilkie-Milne, alongside Laura Watt of Auchterarder, Fay Henderson and Robyn Munro, is reflecting on a successful week at the World Junior B Championships in the Finnish city of Lohja.
With Scotland proudly on their backs, the team secured the silver medal and that also qualified them for the World Junior Championships which begin in Germany in February.
“We knew going out to the Bs that we intended to do our best to qualify Scotland for the World As and we had been building through the whole season in the run up to this event,” former Perth Academy pupil Wilkie-Milne said.
“So there was definitely a feeling in the team that we had a job to get done here in Finland.
“This is an event that none of us had played in and so there was a sense of uncertainty, but it was a great competition.
“The opposition were strong - especially in those playoff games - while the ice rink and other facilities were great and it was amazing to have the success we had hoped for.
“It’s absolutely surreal to be able to say we are heading to the World Juniors, and I can’t wait to get out there and represent Scotland again.”
The team had navigated through the round robin stage undefeated before seeing off Czech Republic in the quarter-final and then Turkey in the semi-final.
Canada, also a curling powerhouse, awaited in the final for what was always expected to be a close-fought encounter.
And so it proved, with the Canadians edging the match 5-4.
“The semi final against Turkey was a very hard fought game and we rose to the occasion - we knew that winning that game secured us a spot in the As,” Wilkie-Milne said.
“It was a very good game for us and we performed to the high standard we will need in Germany.
“The final against Canada was always going to be a tight game. We both had an unbeaten record heading into the match.
“We didn’t start that game as strong as we had started the others, but we really turned it up a notch in the second half.
“Unfortunately Canada just made some more shots than we did, and in the end won 5-4. We will meet them again in Germany, and hopefully will have a better game.”
Ahead of pulling on the Scotland jerseys again next year, Team Henderson has a busy schedule packed full of high-quality competition. That will provide the perfect preparation.
Wilkie-Milne said: “Between now and then we actually have a very packed schedule, with the Perth Masters right after new year.
“That is followed directly by the World University Games which all four of us were selected for alongside former team-mate Lisa Davie, and finally the Scottish Women’s Championship before the As.
“These events will give us the quality ice time and experience we will need in order to perform at the Worlds, alongside our continued on and off ice training.”
