Women's World Curling Championships: 'We can compete' - Hannah Fleming

Skip Hannah Fleming believes her team is capable of competing at the Women's World Championships, as they prepare to make their debut in the competition.

The Scottish champions beat Team Muirhead in this month's inaugural World Play-off to reach the finals, which take place in North Bay, Canada.

Team Fleming play their first match of the tournament against Russia on Saturday.

"This has been a two-year project since we got together," Fleming said.

"Quite simply, our main goal was to develop into a top team in the world that could compete at a World Championship and on the World Tour."

Fleming's rink comprises Jennifer Dodds, Vicki Wright, Alice Spence and alternate Sophie Jackson, and are coached by Nancy Smith.

The skip works as an estate agent, while Dodds is a receptionist, Wright is a nurse and Spence is a lab technician, with the team members juggling their time on the ice with work commitments.

"We concentrate on our own performances and our focus and training ethic reflects this," Fleming said.

"In between our matches we were watching the Winter Olympics. It was great how our sport was projected into the limelight and competing at a major event after the Games is a great opportunity for us and we hope that more people get hooked on curling."

In a change to the previous World Championships format, the top six, rather than four, teams will progress to the play-off stages after the round robin fixtures.

The first and second-ranked teams qualify for the semi-finals, while the third and sixth, and fourth and fifth-ranked teams will face each in another qualification game.

The medals will be contested on Sunday, 25 March.

"We know the majority of the teams and have played many of them this year so we feel confident we know what to expect and how to play against them," Fleming added.

"We have prepared well and trained at City View Curling Club in Ottawa this week for a few days before official training at North Bay, replicating our trips across the pond earlier this season to put us in the best possible shape for the challenge to come."