BRONZE CONSOLATION AS ENGLAND'S RUN IS HALTED; CURLING.

ENGLAND returned home from the Mixed European Curling Championships with a bronze medal after Berwick's Andrew Reed, the team's skip, demoted himself, writes STUART RAYNER.

But Reed was disappointed he and his successor Alan McDougall did not get the chance to embarrass the county of their birth in last weekend's final.

England won all seven group games in the 24-team Prague tournament, but missed out on facing the eventual winners Scotland after narrowly losing to Denmark in the semi-finals.

Instead they had to be content with beating hosts Czech Republic 5-2 to claim third place.

The team train in Braehead in Glasgow and are now led by McDougall, a 1991 world champion for Scotland, after Reed decided to demote himself.

"The Scotland team are all funded and expected to do well," said Reed. "The team representing Great Britain at the Winter Olympics will be an all-Scottish one.

"They're the European and world champions and I would think they will do very well. So it would have been good to take them on in the final.

"It's only the third time England have won a medal at European level, and our first at the top level since 1956."

Reed's main aim now is to help England qualify for the sport's A Division, but he is also heavily involved in developing curling. English curling does not receive funding because it has only 300 members, rather than the 500 required.

Anyone interested in taking it up can email Andrew at [e-mail] for more details. Reed is also on the committee trying to bring the 2013 European Championships to Sheffield Ice Palace.

He hopes that - and a gold at next year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver - can help to spark interest in the sport.

CAPTION(S):

BRONZE FINISH The England team in Prague after their third place in the European Championships. Left to right, Alan McDougall, Lana Watson, Andrew Reed and Suzie Law.