Jackie Lockhart
Four-time Olympic curler on BBC Two

I don't think the Canadians wanted to face us in the semi-final.

They have faced each other over the past eight or nine years. The head-to-head record is something like 12 to Bruce and three to [Brad] Jacobs.

Jess Anderson
BBC Sport in Cortina

American veteran Elana Meyers Taylor, gold medallist in the monobob earlier this week, puts down a superb run to shoot her team up the standings into sixth.

A disaster run in heat two yesterday left her way back in 12th but she's managed to make up a lot of places with that run of 57.60 seconds.

Can the 41-year-old do enough to challenge the medals later on?

Image source, Getty Images

It's been a confident start by Great Britain here.

Grant Hardie plays a wonderful double takeout and that leaves a solitary British red stone in the house.

Three apiece left to throw in this end.

Image source, Getty Images

Jess Anderson
BBC Sport in Cortina

So, the top five as things stand in the bobsleigh. This is very unlikely to change at this point with the teams going in order of their times across the first two heats.

1. Laura Nolte/Deborah Levi (Germany) - 2:51.19
2. Lisa Buckwitz/Neele Schuten (Germany) - 2:51.54
3. Kaillie Armbruster Humphries/Jasmine Jones (USA) - 2:51.73
4. Kim Kalicki/Talea Prepens (Germany) - 2:51.82
5. Kaysha Love/Azaria Hill (USA) - 2:52.12

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland in Cortina

The lone piper is back in again, somewhere high up in the bleachers. Clearly the security team didn't search the pram in which he smuggled his instrument again...

A wee toot of Scotland the Brave soundtracks the first stones of the second end.

Jackie Lockhart
Four-time Olympic curler on BBC Two

That is definitely advantage to Great Britain.

We have got to be pleased with that. When you don't have the hammer and you can force your opponent to just score one, you have to be pretty content with your play.

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland in Cortina

Did you know that every curling stone used in the elite game comes from one Scottish island?

The rocks - which weigh around 20kg each - are all made from granite hewn from Ailsa Craig off the coast of Ayrshire and cost about £750 each to buy.

Teams don't have their own set of eight which they travel around with. Instead, each venue will have their own stones and, at the Olympics, each ice sheet has its own particular set of eight yellows and eight reds.

They should all be identical but, being natural materials, they can deviate a little. That is why every team's alternate - or substitute - tests the stones the evening before every game to assess which ones react in which way.

Jess Anderson
BBC Sport in Cortina

At the bobsleigh, a big hit from the Canadian team, the back end clips the top of the track and sends the sled all over the shop before a further mistake further down the track leaves the pair well off the pace.

Their time of 58.82 seconds leaves them seventh for now but it's likely a couple of teams will be able to overtake that.

Image source, Getty Images

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland in Cortina

Good outcome for GB, you'd say. Not that Bruce Mouat saw it, he'd jumped away to the gents when Brad Jacobs was delivering his final stone.

Brad Jacobs draws in for Canada's one, but Great Britain will be very happy with how that first end unfolded.

GB will have the hammer, so will throw the last stone, in end two.

An error from Canada skip Brad Jacobs as his penultimate stone slides off a British red.

GB are lying two at the moment, with one stone each left to throw, but having that final stone is such an advantage.

Bruce Mouat taps off the closest yellow and now GB are lying three... Jacobs will have no other real option but to draw in for one...

Image source, Getty Images

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland in Cortina

The lad with the cardboard cutout of Grant Hardie's face is back in again. Seriously, this thing runs from his chin down to his waist. It's massive.

GB won't mind Canada scoring one from this first end - it means the hammer swaps and GB will throw last in the next end.

Any steals are a bonus.

If you have the hammer, the objective is to score at least two.

Canada skip Brad Jacobs directs operations as Marc Kennedy delivers his team's third-last stone of the first end.

He taps a yellow into the button to lie one.

Just the two skips - Bruce Mouat and Jacobs - left to throw.

Halfway through the first end, in which Canada will throw last, and the house is looking pretty empty. Canada are lying one shot, but the real action happens at the back end of each end.

GB's Grant Hardie knocks out the sole yellow and leaves two reds in a line behind their guard.

Three runs down at the Cortina sliding track and it's another solid start for the Germans.

Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi lead the way with a 57.26 second run, followed by compatriots Lisa Buckwitz and Neele Schuten, who clocked 57.43secs.

American Kaillie Armbruster Humphries sits third and she will likely be disappointed with that, she just can't quite gain on the German teams.

The veteran pilot took bronze in the monobob but would have wanted gold here.

Image source, Getty Images

Jackie Lockhart
Four-time Olympic curler on BBC Two

Canada are very good at their striking power and trying to run for home, but I think the game has changed in the last few years, especially with the free guard zone. Running for home if you get ahead is not the easiest position to be in.

I don't think the Canadians will get that far ahead of us. This is going to be really close.

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland in Cortina

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