Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat are to return as a pair for the British Curling Mixed Doubles League ©WCF/Celine Stucki

World champions Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat are to continue their successful partnership as they pair up for British Curling's Mixed Doubles League, which is due to start today.

Dodds and Mouat teamed together at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, winning gold in the final against Norwegian duo Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten on home soil at Curl Aberdeen.

The British Curling Mixed Doubles League is played every Friday and saw some of the nation's top players compete last season in the absence of international competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the nine teams set to compete, only three will remain the same from last season.

Olympic bronze medallist and 2013 world champion Eve Muirhead - who skips the women's team that Dodds is on - will again partner with Bobby Lammie, who is on Mouat's men's team.

The pair won the inaugural Mixed Doubles League last season but were runners-up to Dodds and Mouat at the Mixed Doubles Elite Finals.

Grant Hardie and Vicky Wright, who are both on Mouat's and Muirhead's rinks too respectively, will partner again.

Eve Muirhead will team up with Bobbie Lammie for a second year ©Getty Images
Eve Muirhead will team up with Bobbie Lammie for a second year ©Getty Images

British Curling's Olympic head coach David Murdoch said: "The introduction of last season’s internal mixed doubles competition was one of the many positive things we took away from the innovative approach we required during lockdown.

"It proved to be a huge success in competitive terms and the players really enjoyed it, so it is great to have it as part of our regular schedule again.

"There has been a great buzz within the National Curling Academy since the players returned to the ice earlier this month and having so many new partnerships will freshen things up, but everyone can also take enormous confidence from having the reigning world champions within our squad.

"Jen and Bruce would also be the first to admit that they benefited greatly from the quality of competition they were exposed to in the build-up to the World Championships as they were pushed to the limit in every domestic competition and, as we move into the final stage of the Winter Olympiad, we fully expect that to be the case again this season."

Lauren Gray, also on Team Muirhead, will partner with Duncan Menzies, the 2019 European bronze medallist.

Scottish mixed doubles champion Gina Aitken will partner with Euan Kyle for the first time, while Rebecca Morrison plays with Robin Brydone.

Mouat's whole team is set to compete in the league as lead Hammy McMillan teams with Hailey Duff and alternate Ross Whyte partners Sophie Sinclair.

Completing the line-up is Mili Smith and Duncan McFadzean.