British women seal crucial curling win against Russia

British skip Eve Muirhead said she "couldn't hear myself think" at Sochi's raucous Ice Cube Curling Centre as her team battled to a crucial win against Russia on Monday. Britain won 9-6 in the round robin match to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals but the host nation are out of the competition. "During my last shot, I actually couldn't hear myself think," said Muirhead, 23, whose rink won last year's world championships. "I was just hoping there wasn't a really important line call where the sweepers would have to hear me scream, because there's absolutely no way they would have heard me." When asked what the British fans could do to boost the team, she said: "They need to get their voices up. Maybe get them a microphone out there." Crowd noise at the curling venue has been a talking point among athletes used to playing in much quieter settings. Team member Anna Sloan said: "Any crowd that curling gets is great. It's not the biggest sport in the world, so just to get curling on the radar really is just great wherever you are." Russian player Ekaterina Galkina thanked the fans for their loud support. "Our fans are amazing. They supported each of us so warmly at each game," she said. "Such positive energy. We never experienced that before. It was obvious that they were nervous for us. They gave us soft toys and flags to sign. We appreciate that." Russia's players are well aware that they are playing in front of a passionate crowd who are not used to watching curling. Ahead of the Sochi Games Russian player Margarita Fomina expressed concerns supporters might cheer at inappropriate moments. Four teams -- Japan, China, Switzerland and Britain -- still have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals alongside Canada and Sweden. Source: AFP