Blair Haswell

Haswell won the Scottish Junior Curling Championships in 2020, playing second for James Craik. The team also included third Mark Watt and lead Niall Ryder.{{Cite news|url=https://www.scottishcurling.org/whats-on-this-weekend-scottish-curling-junior-championships/|title=Scottish Curling Junior Championships 2020|publisher=Scottish Curling|date=26 January 2020|access-date=19 December 2024}} This earned the rink the right to represent Scotland at the 2020 World Junior Curling Championships, in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. There, they 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.{{Cite news|url=https://worldcurling.org/2020/02/wjcc2020-men-gold/|title=Canada retain junior men's world title in Krasnoyarsk|publisher=World Curling Federation|date=22 February 2020|access-date=19 December 2024}} With Haswell aging out of juniors following the cancelled 2020–21 season, he joined Watt's newly created team with third Gregor Cannon and lead Gavin Barr. This lineup saw limited success, only reaching the playoffs in two of seven World Curling Tour events and finishing with a 4–6 record at the 2022 Scottish Curling Championships.{{Cite web|url=https://competitions.scottishcurling.org/competitions/scottish-curling-mens-womens-championships/|title=2022 Scottish Curling Men's & Women's Championships|website=Scottish Curling|access-date=19 December 2024}}

Haswell and Watt reunited with former teammates Craik and Angus Bryce for the 2022–23 season, forming a team to represent Great Britain at the 2023 Winter World University Games.{{Cite news|url=https://www.scottishcurling.org/scottish-curlers-compete-at-winter-universiade-2023/|title=Scottish curlers compete at Winter Universiade 2023|publisher=Scottish Curling|date=12 January 2023|access-date=19 December 2024}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/team.php?teamid=160929&profileid=31189|title=Team James Craik: 2022–23|website=CurlingZone|access-date=19 December 2024}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://worldcurling.org/2023/01/wug-2023/|title=Great Britain men and China women win FISU World University Games|publisher=World Curling Federation|date=22 January 2023|access-date=19 December 2024}}{{Cite news|url=https://brignews.com/2023/01/25/gold-for-stirling-curler-at-world-university-games/|title=Gold for Stirling Curler at World University Games|publisher=Brig Newspaper|author=Andrew Robson|date=25 January 2023|access-date=19 December 2024}} After the championship, the team returned home to the Scottish men's championship where they 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.scottishcurling.org/scottish-curling-mens-championship-2023/|title=Team Mouat take fourth Scottish men's title at 2023 championships|publisher=Scottish Curling|date=6 February 2023|access-date=19 December 2024}}{{Cite news|url=https://worldcurling.org/2023/04/gold-final/|title=Scotland win World Men's gold|publisher=World Curling Federation|date=10 April 2023|access-date=19 December 2024}}

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, Haswell's first tour victory.{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishcurling.org.uk/news/timely-win-tees-craik-up-for-first-crack-at-tier-one-slam/|title=Timely win tees Craik up for first crack at Tier 1 Slam|publisher=British Curling|date=29 October 2023|access-date=19 December 2024}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/field-finalized-for-2023-kioti-national-in-pictou-county/|title=Field finalized for 2023 KIOTI National in Pictou County|publisher=Grand Slam of Curling|author=Jonathan Brazeau|date=20 October 2023|access-date=19 December 2024}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/bottcher-escapes-with-extra-end-win-over-whyte-in-kioti-national-mens-quarterfinals/|title=Bottcher escapes with win over Whyte in KIOTI National men's quarterfinals|publisher=Grand Slam of Curling|author=Jonathan Brazeau|date=11 November 2023|access-date=19 December 2024}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/red-deer-redemption-gushue-ousts-schwaller-in-quarterfinals-rematch-at-canadian-open/|title=Red Deer Redemption: Gushue ousts Schwaller in rematch at Canadian Open|publisher=Grand Slam of Curling|author=Jonathan Brazeau|date=20 January 2024|access-date=19 December 2024}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://competitions.scottishcurling.org/competitions/scottish-curling-championship-3/|title=The Hendricks Gin – Scottish Curling Men's & Women's Championship|website=Scottish Curling|access-date=19 December 2024}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.scottishcurling.org/team-whyte-are-the-2024-scottish-mens-champions/|title=Team Whyte are the 2024 Scottish Men's Champions|publisher=Scottish Curling|date=11 February 2024|access-date=19 December 2024}} The team ended their season at the 2024 Players' Championship Slam where they went 1–4.{{Cite news|url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/defending-champ-wrana-secures-bye-to-princess-auto-players-championship-semifinals/|title=Defending champ Wrana secures bye to Princess Auto Players' Championship semifinals|publisher=Grand Slam of Curling|author=Jonathan Brazeau|date=12 April 2024|access-date=19 December 2024}}

Haswell played in his first Scottish Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in 2022 with partner Eilidh Yeats. There, the pair finished 1–4 through the round robin, not advancing to the playoffs.{{Cite web|url=https://competitions.scottishcurling.org/competitions/scottish-curling-mixed-doubles-championship-7/|title=Scottish Curling Mixed Doubles Championship 2022|website=Scottish Curling|access-date=19 December 2024}} The following year, he fared much better with Amy MacDonald, going 4–1 in the round robin and qualifying for the knockout round. In the quarterfinals, the team won 5–4 over Kirstin Bousie and Craig Waddell before losing to Sophie Jackson and Duncan McFadzean 9–3 in the semifinal, settling for third.{{Cite news|url=https://www.scottishcurling.org/scottish-curling-mixed-doubles-championship-2023/|title=Dodds/Mouat clinch 2023 Scottish Mixed Doubles Title|publisher=Scottish Curling|date=22 February 2023|access-date=19 December 2024}} In 2024, MacDonald and Haswell again teamed up and went 5–2 through the round robin, however, missed the playoffs due to a poor draw total.{{Cite web|url=https://competitions.scottishcurling.org/competitions/scottish-curling-mixed-doubles-championship-9/|title=Scottish Curling Mixed Doubles Championship 2024|website=Scottish Curling|access-date=19 December 2024}}

Haswell previously studied at the University of Stirling and the University of Strathclyde, which he represented at the 2023 Winter World University Games.{{Cite news|url=https://www.strath.ac.uk/whystrathclyde/news/2023/strathclydecurlerwinsgoldatworlduniversitywintergames/|title=Strathclyde curler wins gold at World University Winter Games|publisher=University of Strathclyde Glasgow|date=1 February 2023|access-date=19 December 2024}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1999 births

Category:Sportspeople from Stranraer

Category:Curlers from Stirling

Category:Scottish male curlers

Category:British male curlers

Category:Winter World University Games medalists in curling

Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for Great Britain

Category:Medalists at the 2023 Winter World University Games

Category:Alumni of the University of Stirling

Category:Alumni of the University of Strathclyde

Category:21st-century Scottish sportsmen