17 November 2024
Sibling Rivalry: Mouat brothers set for European curling clash
Mouat in an England uniform may sound like something out of curling’s darkest timeline, but it will be a reality at the European Curling Championships.
No, Bruce has not committed to a change of allegiance south of the border, but his older brother Colin has.
Although once part of his brother’s junior team, you would be forgiven for not knowing Colin’s career in the sport. Taking a break to focus on his final year of university studies in 2013, he would not return to the ice competitively until the late 2010s. Aside from a few passing mentions in articles involving his brother, the 32-year-old has kept a low profile. His Instagram will occasionally pop up through Bruce’s account and he admits he “doesn’t post much” on social media. Even Colin’s CurlingZone profile could fool you into thinking he has not picked up a broom in over a decade.
Yet, there is a chance he could face his brother at the Le Gruyère AOP European Curling Championships 2024 in Lohja, Finland. It all started over a few drinks at a function with some friends.
Cross-Border chance
“It all came out that Bruce and I, and my friend Sian, were actually eligible to play for England at a party,” said Colin.
“I think we’d seen that there’d been an England mixed doubles team that had done quite well at one of the world events and we decided that maybe that was something we should try and do.
“We were joking about how funny it would be if Sian and I played and won the English Mixed Doubles Championships and ending up playing Bruce and Jen [Dodds] at the Worlds.
“So we shook hands on it after a couple of drinks and that’s where it started.
“I believe Bruce went to another party and kind of let people know that we were both eligible for England and the next thing I know, I got a phone call from one of my friends asking if I’d be interested in making a team up with him.”
It is common in the United Kingdom to have eligibility across the constituent border. In fact, more than 9% of Scottish citizens were born in England, including the Mouats’ mother, whose place of birth is Leeds. She was born in the Yorkshire city during a period where Colin’s grandparents had moved south for work for a short period of time.
“It counts,” joked Colin.
With his own rink, Colin would finish third at the English Men’s Curling Championship, with Rob Retchless’ side claiming the gold medal.
“I got to know Team Retchless and then over the summer, I got the surprise of them asking me if I wanted to join them for the Euros; and obviously at that point, you can’t really turn that down,” said Colin.
“I just thought it was a great opportunity.”
Despite England usually being the dominant sporting force in the home nations, the curling culture is much smaller. With that comes a great form of diversity that can set up the nation’s growth of the sport, bringing in athletes with a great pedigree from the countries they grew up in. Colin and the team’s second Scott Gibson are both Scottish with an English-born parent. Retchless and his lead Jonathan Havercroft hail from Canada originally. Then you have the team’s third, the English born-and-raised Joe Sugden, the bright future of the team.
It has involved sacrifice for the rink to excel. Havercroft has upped sticks to work at the University of Glasgow while Sugden is working as an ice technician in Forfar. Similarly, Colin has the same role at Greenacres Curling Club close to Glasgow, meaning most of the team are closer together.
Sibling rivalry in full force
While England’s men’s return to the A-Division – only their fourth appearance since the introduction of promotion/relegation in 2000 – will be exciting to watch, one eye will be on the possibility of a sibling rivalry in the third game. Despite expecting to be watching the action mostly from the sidelines, Colin hopes to get a run out against Bruce.
“I guess it will depend on how the game’s going or how the boys are feeling,” he said.
“But I’m excited to, if I get a chance to take the ice, I’m gonna be there.
“Nothing’s really gonna hold me back from trying to cause an upset here.
“I’m trying to get into Bruce’s head and he’ll try and get in mine.
“I’m not sure I’ll be on the ice, but I think I’ll just be messing with him a touch.”
Bruce’s eyes may be more focused on the European gold medal – which he has successfully claimed in all four tournaments he has played in – but he is just as invested in a sibling rivalry.
“I’ll support him in his endeavours but when it comes to competing against him I’m not gonna just roll over and let him win, I’m gonna try and beat him because both of us are extremely competitive,” said Bruce.
“It was really exciting to realise that we get to play in a pretty intense competitive atmosphere against each other.”
Perhaps the greatest challenge to date for Colin was revealing to family and friends his decision to play for England – a nation referred to as the “Auld Enemy” north of the border, with rivalries going back centuries between the two countries. It has not caused friction, but instead has made him an easier target for jokes.
“It’s not overly serious, but you get the usual sort of stick,” Colin said.
“It’s all the ‘going to the other side’ that sort of bit, but overall, there seems to be a lot of support which is lovely.”
“Our dad is very kind of patriotic with the whole rivalry so I think when Colin told dad, a bit of banter was had,” added Bruce.
“It’s funny that there’s now going to be two Mouats – one with Scotland and one with England on their back and it’ll be interesting to see who mum and dad are supporting.
“I’d like to think they’re still going to support Scotland, but you never know – it’s Colin’s first Europeans so he’s probably going to get the benefit of the doubt.”
Brothers first, rivals Second
While some brothers fight, their bond is undoubtable. Bruce says he “learned how to lose” from his older brother when they played sport together as children, recalling he enjoyed having someone to look up to before becoming the star he is today.
Both Colin and Bruce speak warmly about their relationship with Colin’s son, Riley too. Bruce even admits he likes being a “big kid for the day” when playing with his nephew on days out. To Colin, he has never been fazed by his sibling’s fame and even on the ice, will see him like few get to see.
“He’s my brother first off, I know he’s this big star, but I don’t think I can quite get my head around that,” said Colin.
“I threw up a post on Instagram, of him on a little truck tractor with my Riley, and that’s just how I see him.”
It might be ambitious to think the Scotland-England rivalry will end any time soon, but it may just freeze for one family on a Sunday in Lohja.
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