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Angus Bryce
Angus Bryce (born 11 May 2002 in Livingston) is a Scottish curler from Kelso.[1][2] He currently plays second on Team James Craik. Playing for Craik, Bryce won gold at the 2022 World Junior Curling Championships and 2023 Winter World University Games and bronze at the 2020 World Junior Curling Championships. He also won a gold medal at the 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival. Career2016–2022At just 14 years old, Bryce and his team, skipped by Cameron McNay, reached the final of the 2016 Scottish Junior Curling Championships.[3] After going 5–2 through the round robin, the young team defeated Ross Whyte 7–4 in the semifinal before losing to Bruce Mouat 8–3 in the championship game.[4] The following year, the team again reached the playoffs, this time being defeated by Whyte in the semifinal game.[5] Two years later, Bryce made his international debut at the 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, playing second on the British team that also included Hamish Gallacher, Robyn Munro and Inca Maguire. At the festival, the team went an undefeated 6–0 to reach the playoffs.[6] They then defeated Poland in the semifinal before beating Switzerland in the final to claim the gold medal.[7] After failing to reach the playoffs at the national championship for two years in a row, Bryce joined the Hamish Gallacher rink at second. The team, including third Scott Hyslop and lead Jack Carrick went 6–1 at the 2020 Scottish junior championship, finishing tied for first with James Craik. After being beaten by Craik in the 1 vs. 2 game, Team Gallacher beat Callum Kinnear in the semifinal to reach the final. There, they were again defeated by Craik to finish with the silver medal.[8] After the event, Bryce was invited to join Team Craik as their alternate at the 2020 World Junior Curling Championships in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. There, the Scottish team of Craik, Mark Watt, Blair Haswell, Niall Ryder and Bryce topped the round robin with a 7–2 record, earning themselves a spot in the playoffs. The team then lost to Switzerland's Marco Hösli 9–6 in the semifinal before defeating Germany's Sixten Totzek 6–5 to capture the bronze medal.[9] Bryce joined Craik's team full-time at third for the 2021–22 season.[10] After being delayed to the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, the team won the Scottish junior title in November 2021, winning all ten of their games en route to claiming the title.[11] In preparation for the 2022 World Junior Curling Championships in May, the team competed in the 2022 Scottish Curling Championships. There, they finished 6–4 through the double round robin, finishing third and advancing to the playoffs. They then lost 7–2 to eventual champion Ross Paterson in the semifinal, earning the bronze medal.[12] Entering the world junior championship as the highest ranked team, the team finished with an 8–1 round robin record, in sole first-place possession. This time, the team advanced through the semifinal game by defeating Norway's Grunde Buraas 7–5. They then claimed the gold medal with a dominant 7–1 win over Germany's Benjamin Kapp.[13] 2022–presentBryce and Craik reunited with former teammates Mark Watt and Blair Haswell for the 2022–23 season, forming a team to represent Great Britain at the 2023 Winter World University Games.[14] On the European tour, the team found success, reaching the semifinals of the 2022 Oslo Cup and 2023 Mercure Perth Masters and the quarterfinals of four other events.[15] This set the team up for a dominant run at the University Games, going 8–1 through the round robin and beating Canada's Dalhousie University team (skipped by Owen Purcell) in the semifinal to advance to the final. There, they beat the United States' Daniel Casper to claim the gold medal, becoming the second British men's team to do so.[16][17] After the championship, the team returned home to the Scottish men's championship where they again reached the playoffs with a 5–2 record in the round robin. They then beat Ross Whyte in the semifinal before coming up short to Bruce Mouat in the final, who went on to win the 2023 World Men's Curling Championship.[18][19] Now focused solely on men's play, Team Craik began the 2023–24 season with back-to-back playoff finishes at the 2023 Baden Masters and the 2023 Euro Super Series, losing out to Joël Retornaz and Bruce Mouat respectively. In October, the team went undefeated to win the Grand Prix Bern Inter, Bryce's first tour victory.[20] With the points they accumulated throughout the 2022–23 and start of the 2023–24 season, the team rose high enough in the ranks to qualify for the 2023 National Grand Slam event.[21] They previously competed in the 2023 Tour Challenge Tier 2 event, however, lost in the quarterfinals to Mike McEwen. At the National, the team went 2–2 in the round robin, just enough to squeak into the playoff round. They were then defeated by Yannick Schwaller 6–5 in the quarterfinals.[22] Team Craik also had enough points to play in the next two Slams, the 2023 Masters and the 2024 Canadian Open. After missing the playoffs at the Masters, the team again went 2–2 at the Canadian Open and had a good enough draw total to reach the playoffs. This time, it was Mouat who took them out in the quarterfinal round by a 5–4 score.[23] In February, the team had another strong showing at the national men's championship, going 6–2 in the round robin and qualifying for the 1 vs. 2 game.[24] There, they lost 7–3 to Team Whyte but rebounded with a 9–1 win over Team Mouat to reach the final. There, they again came up short to Whyte, losing 7–6.[25] The team ended their season at the 2024 Players' Championship Slam where they went 1–4.[26] Personal lifeBryce is employed at Bryce Suma Post Drivers. He previously attended Open University and Kelso High School, winning the Scottish Schools Curling Championship in 2019.[27] His siblings Cameron and Amy are previous Scottish junior champions.[1] He is in a relationship with American curler Sydney Mullaney.[28] Teams
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