CURLING: Cheating Canadians doctored broom with 7- up and deep freeze.

Byline: GAVIN BERRY

SCOTLAND curling supremo Mike Hay toppled the mighty Canadians on their own patch despite some of the worst cheating he has ever seen.

The roaring game is the last sport you would have thought dealt in underhand tactics.

Well, you would have been wrong. And the worst culprits are Canada who will do anything to win - as Hay found out.

In the 1991 World Championship Final in Winnipeg, Scotland had to overcome blatant cheating that eventually resulted in the disgusted partisan home crowd turning on their own team.

Hay, who will return to the scene of one of his finest coaching successes in April when the world crown will again be decided in the Canadian city, explained: "In curling you have what's called a corn broom that can be used as an alternative to the more commonly seen brush. It has long strands at the end, a bit like a witch's broom.

"The Canadians were dipping the broom into 7-up then deep freeze before they went out. They brushed in such a way that all the frozen fragments would break up and lie in your path when it was your shot.

"It affected the route of your stone and there are no other words to describe it than downright cheating. We knew what they were doing but our complaints to the authorities were in vain and we just had to get on with things.

"We first noticed it when we played Canada in the group stage and that made us even more determined to win once we met again in the final.

"The funny thing was, curling is huge in Canada and thousands of their dedicated fans had turned out.

"They had been partisan throughout the whole tournament but at the final they cheered against their one-time heroes.

"By then most people realised what the Canadians were up to so we got an added bonus of support in the final and thankfully won it. Sweet revenge indeed.

"However, we won't see a repeat in Winnipeg this year because a rule has been brought in that if you start with a broom you must finish with it - previously you could alternate throughout the game."

Canada has been a happy hunting ground for Scotland who also lifted the world title there three years ago and are looking for their fourth success in the tournament in April.

Switzerland wasn't a good place to be on Thursday, December 12, 2002, if you were a keen follower of Scottish sport. Well at least not if you were Scottish Football Association chief David Taylor or a fan hoping to see the European Champion- ships come to these shores.

But as UEFA president Lennart Johansson opened the fateful envelope in Nyon that confirmed Scotland's joint Euro 2008 bid with Ireland had failed, unknown to most people another sporting success was recorded just a few hours' drive away.

Hay ensured all Scots didn't fail in Switzerland on that black day as he led the men's and women's sides to qualification for this year's Ford World Championships.

The guys, skippered by Peter Smith and also featuring Mike's brother David, recovered from an early defeat by England in the European Championships in Grindel- wald to do enough to ensure they'll be in Canada in April.

The women also booked their place in the prestigious tournament with a superb play-off victory over Germany.

Hay, now 39, was a five-times European champion with Scotland before turning to coaching in 1990 when he won the junior championship with the girls and just a year later led the men to world glory in Winnipeg. He was also in charge of the women's Olympic Gold medallists then led a different female team to world success, a unique achievement for a country outside Canada.

Skipper Smith and Hay's brother David are survivors of the 1991 Winnipeg days but the coach expects a far tougher task now.

Mike said: "It will be hard even to reach the semis. There are a lot of terrific teams but we'll give our all."

Hay works out of the plush new Scottish Institute of Sport offices in Stirling and insists access to their tremendous facilities has greatly helped curling's development.

He said: "Previously you had to do everything in your own time, including using up holiday entitlements to go to tournaments abroad.

"There are nine core sports in the institute but we only deal with the elite. If you want to win medals at major events you have to invest money at the TOP end. That's what all other successful nations have done."