WINNIPEG (CBC) - Skip Jennifer Jones and her Team Canada rink stayed within striking distance of first place at the world women's curling championship with a 7-4 extra-end win over Japan on Wednesday in Vernon, B.C.

Canadian third Cathy Overton-Clapham set up the decisive extra-end points with a superb second shot, threading her rock between two guards, off an opposition rock in the rings and behind cover.

Japanese skip Moe Meguro couldn't get either of her shots to the button, giving Jones the three-point win without having to throw her final stone.

"There were lots of rocks in play," Jones said of the game. "They were actually quite aggressive. Each team seemed to make a good shot.

"It was a little bit of a nailbiter, and we were happy that we had the hammer in the extra [end]." Through 12 draws at the Greater Vernon Multiplex, Canada (7-1) stands alone in second place, behind unbeaten China (7-0). The Chinese beat Canada 9-7 on Tuesday.

Jones's Winnipeg-based rink will face 10th-place Scotland (1-6) on Wednesday afternoon before concluding round-robin play Thursday with games against Denmark and Sweden.

Denmark (6-2) squeaked out a 5-4 win in an extra end over Germany (4-4) on Wednesday morning. Switzerland (6-2) delivered a 10-2 pounding to Italy (1-7), while the United States (5-3) escaped with a 7-6 victory over the winless Czech Republic (0-8).

CBC Sports will televise both the semifinal (Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET) and final (Sunday, 1:30 p.m. ET), with live streaming at CBCSports.ca.

With files from the Canadian Press

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