2002 Mosconi Cup
Results and highlights from 2002 Mosconi Cup
Europe 3 - 0 USA
Ortmann / Souquet 5 - 2 Archer / Varner
Immonen / Chamat 5 - 1 Deuel / Williams
Davis / van den Berg 5 - 4 Strickland / Jones
After last year's demoralizing 12 - 1 defeat, Team Europe got off to a dream start as they won all three of the opening doubles matches before a highly excitable York Hall crowd tonight. They take a 3 - 0 lead into tomorrow afternoon's matches and all six of the team looked up for the job in hand.
German pairing Oliver Ortmann and Ralf Souquet got Team Europe off to the best possible start with a 5-2 victory over Johnny Archer and Nick Varner in an error strewn opening match.
With the venue bursting at the seams with pool fans from all over Europe, the American pairing won the lag and Archer opened the proceedings as he had closed them last year and banged in three balls off the break. He then held his nerve to run out and draw first blood for the USA.
Souquet broke in the next and made the 6 ball and then played a delicate cannon off the pink 4 to see the 2 ball drop into middle bag. Ralf then completed a tough clearance to put score at 1-1.
Varner put a ball down on the break but scratched cutting the yellow 1 as the cue ball nudged the blue 2 and rolled into the middle bag. With ball in hand Ortmann lost his way on the brown 7 and missed the cut as the crowd gasped in disappointment. Archer cleared the remaining three balls to send the US into a 2-1 lead.
Ortmann break saw a ball drop but with no shot on, laid a snooker which Archer escaped by potting the blue 2. However, referee Nigel Rees harshly called a foul, adjudging Archer to have made contact with the 6 ball first. Souquet returned to the table for the Europeans and cleared the table to level it at 2-2.
In the next rack Archer messed up a jump shot to give Souquet ball in hand and he ran out to take the rack against the break and give Europe a 3-2 lead.
Ralf made a good break as the 3 and 8 balls dropped but missed a snatched cut on the 1 ball to let Varner back to the table. He played safe but Ortmann's return safety left the balls out in the open.
Archer made the 1 ball but in a uncharacteristic show of nerves, he snatched at the 2 to leave the Kaiser a tough ball shot with the cue ball on the rail. He made it to set up a five ball run out and take Europe to 4-2.
Varner made a ball on the next break but with no meaningful shot on the 1 ball, he pushed out. However, the German pairing put Varner back in and he missed a very difficult attempt to cut the 1 ball in along the rail. However, Varner accidentally moved the 3 ball with his hand which referee Rees failed to spot and Varner did not call the foul himself either.
Ortmann made a great cut on the red 3 but missed the 5 ball leaving the table open for the Americans, an opportunity that Archer gave back to the Germans as he missed a straight six ball. Souquet held himself together to clear the table to send the crowd into paroxyms of delight as the Europeans took the opening match 5-2. Commented captain Ortmann after the match: "That was a fantastic start! Ralf played great but I didn't play so well but really, it's the result that counts. We won our first match last year and then lost 12-1 overall and I said to Ralf half-way through the match that I didn't want that to happen again this year."
Immonen / Chamat 5 - 1 Deuel / Williams
IN THE second match of the opening session, the European pairing of Mika Immonen and Marcus Chamat went up against the young Americans Cory Deuel and Charlie Williams and took the early advantage as Immonen won the lag and sprinted through the balls to go into a 1-0 lead.
In the second, Deuel made a ball on the break but missed a long pot on the blue 2. Chamat came to the table but ran out of position on the pink 4 but recovered with a terrific cross table double. Chamat, who is not one of the calmer characters in Team Europe, made an edgy clearance to take the rack against the head and put his side 2-0 ahead.
Williams started to show a few nerves in the next and left himself snookered on the 2 ball and an unfortunate scratch on a jump shot let Mika back to the table. He composed himself to run out and put the Europeans 3-0 ahead.
A good break by Williams spread the balls across the blue baize but he snatched at a long 1 ball to let Immonen back to the table. With no available pot on the yellow 1, Immonen played an immaculate safety which Deuel escaped from with a long kick off the side rail.
A safety exchange followed until Mika let Cory see too much of the 1 ball but he missed it but left the 1 ball safe behind the 9.
Chamat executed a tremendous bank to pocket the ball but had no great shot on the 3 ball. A weak safety gave Charlie the opportunity to regain his nerve and he completed a decent run out to open his account.
Immonen broke in the next and made three balls on the break. From there he dished up in double quick time to take the Europeans to the hill at 4-1.
At such a crtical time, Deuel made the first dry break of the tournament and even worse, left the 1 ball hanging for Chamat. Marcus disposed of that and completed a magnificent nerve-jangling clearance to put Team Europe 2-0 up.
Davis / van den Berg 5 - 4 Strickland / Jones
A TREMENDOUS comeback from the final pairing of Steve Davis and Nick van den Berg made it a clean sweep for Team Europe on the opening day's session.
Van den Berg was making his Mosconi Cup debut, but he won the lag and opened with a solid break. However with no potting shot on the 1 ball he elected to play safe and left Earl Strickland in a tight spot that he failed to extricate himself from.
Davis, with ball in hand, had a go at the 1/9 combo but missed leaving Jeremy Jones and open table which he cleared with some aplomb.
Strickland broke off in the next with some force but nothing dropped leaving Steve Davis a nice shot on the 1 ball. Steve made it and with almost every ball in a poor position, he played superbly to clear the table and make it level pegging at 1-1.
Despite all the good work Davis scratched on his next break and with ball in hand Jeremy Jones looked assured as he dished up to put Team USA back in the lead.
The next rack was very tactical as all four players visited the table in a series of safety exchanges but it was Jones who laid a superb snooker to leave the red 3 tucked right behind the the pink 4.
Van den Berg fouled trying to extricate himself and Strickland looked confident clearing the table to see his team go further ahead.
Nick broke in the next and brilliantly banked the 1 ball when it looked difficult, but he ran out of position slightly on the pink 4 and missed the subsequent pot.
Earl banked the 4 but jawed the cue ball. He missed a speculative cut and left the table to Davis who cleared the remaining balls to make it 3-2 to the US.
Strickland made a ball on the next break but was forced to push out. Davis played the safety and Jones followed him but left a ray of light for Van den Berg who played a marvelous snooker for Strickland to get out but he missed the 1 ball completely.
With ball in hand Davis made the yellow but played a terrible positional shot leaving no pot on the blue 2. However, Steve redeemed himself with another snooker which Jones could not leave himself safe on and young van den Berg set the Dutch crowd alight with a quality run out which left Europe back level at 3-3.
Davis cracked home the next break but had to play a push out . Safety went back and forth for a good five minutes before Davis had the shot to get the back into the frame. He potted it and left himself just the 7, 8 and 9 but a slip up on the brown 7 left him needing to play a long bank on the 8 ball which he missed.
Nerves played their part as Jones missed a long pot on the 8 and van den Berg followed his mistake to leave Strickland to take the rack and put the USA on the hill.
Jones broke but pushed out with nothing on. A series of safety shots ensued before van den Berg was forced to jump to reach the 3 ball. He made it but left the table open and Strickland disposed of the red 3 before completely running out of position on the pink 4.
Earl missed the pink completely and with ball in hand, Davis made the 4/9 combo to bring the match to four racks apiece.
In the nervy final rack van den Berg cleared the bulk of the balls but with the 7 and 8 tied up he could only play safe. Strickland, though, inexplicably nudged the 8 ball on his way to the 7 and with ball in hand, Romford Slim cleared the 7, 8 and 9 to send Europe into a 3-0 lead and the York Hall crowd into a frenzy.
Commented Davis afterwards, "We never gave up and that is what saw us over the line. None of us played brilliantly but I was impressed with the way Nick held it together under a lot of pressure.
"3 - 0 up after the first session was beyond our wildest dreams and I think all the team contributed tonight.”
"We need to keep our feet on the ground though. There is a long way to go and we must build our confidence on this and try and win tomorrow's afternoon session. The Americans are fighters and we will have our hands full tomorrow."
Brunswick provide the tables for the Mosconi Cup, Simonis provide the cloth, Aramith the balls, Sardo the rack and Predator are the Official Cue of the 2002 Ladbrokes.com Mosconi Cup.
Europe 5 - 1 USA
Ortmann / Souquet 1 - 5 Deuel / Williams
Immonen / Chamat 5 - 2 Archer / Varner
Davis / van den Berg 5 - 0 Strickland / Jones
Ortmann / Souquet v Deuel / Williams
With the United States needing to make an impact in this afternoon's opening doubles match, European skipper Oliver Ortmann won a tight lag and spread the balls across the table with the first break of the game.
Ortmann though, ran out of position on the 3 ball and missed the pot leaving Cory Deuel a golden chance to take the opener which he gratefully seized.
The Prince of Pool made a ball on the break in the next rack and looked very comfortable as he cleared the table to put America 2 - 0 ahead.
With Souquet at the table in the third rack he played a lax safety that left Charlie Williams a long cut on the 1 ball. Williams made it and played a very aggressive run out to shift the lead to 3 - 0.
Williams played safe after having no shot on the 2 ball and Ortmann's attempt to bank it missed by millimetres.
Deuel then missed a long cut, leaving the ball in the jaws of the pocket. Souquet made it but drew himself out of position on the red 3.
A superb short jump shot saw the red fly into the corner pocket but the cue finished frozen to the pink 4. Souquet jawed it to let Williams back to the table.
Williams got to the table but a bad miss left the table open to Ortmann and he cleared to bring the score to 3 - 1.
Ortmann was forced to push out on the next break and Deuel left a very nice snooker for Souquet to escape from which he failed. That gave Charlie Williams ball in hand. Charlie composed himself and ran out to take the US to the hill.
Deuel who looked a different player to yesterday, broke and ran out the sixth rack to give the United States their first point of the 2002 Mosconi Cup.
After the match, the American pair were understandably delighted at breaking the duck. Williams was full of himself afterwards; "We didn't feel down last night.
Historically, to be 3 - down was pretty normal for the USA and we still feel real confident about this. Some of the things that have been happening here have really fired us up."
Immonen / Chamat v Archer / Varner
HOT-SHOT Scandinavian duo Mika Immonen and Marcus Chamat extended Team Europe's lead in the 2002 Ladbrokes.com Mosconi Cup with a 5-1 victory over Johnny Archer and Nick Varner.
With the overall score poised at 3-1 at the start of the match, Archer took the first rack against the head after a weak safety shot from Immonen.
However, the US captain scratched in the next to let Chamat at the table. With ball in hand, the Swede cleared up to equalise the score at 1-1.
Chamat, who was starting to enjoy himself, stayed at the table and broke and ran the next rack to put Europe 2-1 to the good, to the obvious delight of the York Hall crowd.
Things got better for the European duo as they took the next rack against the head as Immonen made a tough run out.
More was to come in the fifth rack when Archer made a mistake gaining position on the 3 ball and Chamat fluked an incredible 3/9 combination in to the centre pocket to go 4-1 up.
Archer regained his composure in the next rack to make it 4-1 but Marcus knocked in an amazing 4 balls from his next break to give himself every opportunity to wrap the match up and he did just that.
Afterwards both players spoke to Sky Sports presenter Matt Lorenzo. "Williams said we were celebrating last night but really we were just having a drink with the team because we had a good day at work. I think Charlie went off a bit there, said Immonen.
Commented Chamat: "I was embarrassed after last year's 12-1 so I'm glad we had such a good start. We want to win this and we will do everything to achieve that. In fact, I think we want this even more than they do."
Davis / van den Berg v Strickland / Jones
Any doubts that young Nick van den Berg of Holland would be the weak link in the European side were firmly dispelled as he totally dominated this afternoon's final match as Team Europe increased their lead to four points.
The victims were the US pairing of Strickand and Jones who were on the receiving end of van den Berg's blitz and team mate Steve Davis provided solid back up.
The US won the lag but soon lost the table and 'El Nino' cleared to put the Euros in the lead. Van den Berg stayed at the table and broke and ran to increase the lead.
Jones looked good in the third rack but an uncharacteristic show of nerves left the 5 ball hanging. Davis stepped up to the plate and cleared up to go into a 3-0 lead.
Davis broke in the next and for a player considered to be a weak breaker , he smashed in four balls and cleared the remaining five in double quick time to make it 4-0.
In what was to prove the final rack of the game, Strickland missed a relatively easy 1 ball and the ever reliable van den Berg executed a superb clearance to take the match 5-0.
Davis, an ever present Mosconi Cup player, explained after the match, "I never thought this was going to be the same as last year. We have a great team spirit and we're all having a lot of fun.
"The atmosphere has been quite rowdy and the Americans probably think everybody is against them and they've adopted a siege mentality. It was embarrassing last year but now we're playing with smiles on our faces.
Van den Berg added: "Steve and I have got a good relationship going. We talk about shots and it's making me feel a lot more comfortable. There are lots of friends and family here to support me and I hope I can repay them."
America Fights Back
Marcus Chamat 2 - 5 Earl Strickland
Nick van den Berg 1 - 5 Cory Deuel
Mika Immonen 2 - 5 Charlie Williams
Team USA stormed back this evening at the York Hall to pull back the four point deficit to just one point to leave the Mosconi Cup finely poised with two days to go. Strickland, Deuel and Charlie Williams all put in stellar performances in front of a noisy East End crowd showing that when it comes to singles play, the USA have just that extra yard.
The first match featured 2002 World Pool Champion Earl Strickland against Sweden's Marcus Chamat. Strickland won the lag and made two balls on the break but with no shot on the 2 ball Earl played a weak safety shot which left Marcus with a chance which he took.
A poor positional shot with the green 6 on the top rail forced Chamat to reach for the rest, and he missed the fine cut. Strickland returned to the table to take the 6, 7, 9 and the opening rack.
Chamat made a ball on the break but a lengthy safety battled ensued on the 3 ball before Earl made a tremendous cut into the middle pocket to gain the initiative.
However, Chamat got back to the table with ball in hand after Earl scratched making a tough shot on the pink 5. He cleared the balls to equalise it.
In the third, Strickland had no potting shot following the break and could only leave a tough long 1 ball, which Marcus chose to play safe with. Trapped behind three balls, Earl failed to connect with the bank shot, leaving ball in hand to Chamat.
With the pressure of expectation on his shoulders Chamat ran out to take the rack against the American break. 2 - 1 USA.
Chamat was forced to push out in the next rack and when the Pearl put him he made a mess of it. With an open table left for Earl, he dished up to level it at 2 - 2.
No luck for Earl on his break as he had no shot on the 1 ball. Safeties followed before Chamat made an error on the pink 5. Strickland ran out to go 3 - 2 ahead.
In the next , with Chamat at the table, he went in off on the 1 ball leaving Earl what appeared to be a angled 1/9 combination. He missed it to give Marcus a lifeline.
He continued at the table and fluked the pink 4 in but a rash shot on the red 3 saw Strickland back in. Both players had goes at the orange 5 before Strickland gave Marcus a chance which, under pressure, he missed. Strickland completed a game clearance to take himself to the hill at 4 - 2.
Strickland got just what he wanted in the next with five balls down on the break. A tricky cut on the blue 2 came next and he ran out for the match.
After the match, The Pearl said: "This is the worst deficit we've ever hand to contend with so it was an important match.
"I said to Johnny Archer to send me in first because I wasn't feeling too well and I haven't been able to practice much. Things have gone against us the same way as it went against the Europeans last year and every match now is astronomical for us."
The US continued to make inroads in to Europe’s lead in the second match as Cory Deuel took the battle of the tournament's youngest players by beating Nick van den Berg 5-1.
Looking very much like the World No.1, Deuel took the first after Nick missed badly on the 2 ball. In the second Deuel continued his form as he ran out from the break.
Van den Berg matched him in the third rack as he broke and ran to keep himself in touch.
Two balls on the break for Cory and an open table saw him take the next next to go 3-1 and a very poor safety by van den Berg in the next gave Deuel a chance and he executed a top class 6/9 combination to get to 4-1.
Breaking for the match, Deuel came up dry and neither player had the opportunity to force the rack for some time. Safety followed safety until van den Berg scratched leaving a relatively easy run out for Deuel to take the point.
"The whole team has been playing good but we've had no shots, Deuel said afterwards. " As long as we keep trying hard we knew we'd get the roll of the balls because in a race to five anything can happen."
In what looked to be something of a grudge match after earlier comments, Charlie Williams and Mika Immonen matched up in the final match of the evening.
Williams did well to take the first against the European break after Mika jawed a long 6 ball but on his next break he had no shot on the 1 ball and pushed out. Plenty of safety followed before an escape by Immonen left Williams with an easy 1/9 cannon which he completed to go 2 racks up.
Mika steadied himself in the third rack with a quality run out from the break to get to within a rack of Charlie.
The next rack saw visits by both players as the balls ran awkwardly off the break but it was Immonen who got the chance. Despite running out of position twice, he completed the run out to tie it up at 2 - 2.
Williams won the next one against Immonen's break, playing some high quality shots to get there and then took the next after Immonen left the 2 ball on after trying to get out of a snooker.
The crowd rose to urge Immonen on, but an unfortunate kick off the 8 ball saw him scratch from the break, but Williams ran out of position on the 7 when he looked set to run out. Immonen made the tough cut, but missed a straight 8 handing Williams the win.
After Williams spoke to Sky Sports' Matt Lorenzo, "We won a couple of doubles matches but we knew we'd do good in the singles as soon as the balls started rolling our way. We're cocky, we've got some big egos in the team and we want to win!
"We knew the crowd we going to be loud and rowdy and after yesterday we knew they weren't going to go away only get worse but we accept that.
"The people are being entertained and after tonight, we've got ourselves a Mosconi Cup!"
EUROPE 6 - 6 USA
Chamat / Immonen 5 - 0 Deuel / Williams
Ortmann / Souquet 1 - 5 Strickland / Jones
Davis / van den Berg 4 - 5 Archer / Varner
Chamat / Immonen v Deuel / Williams
After last night's drubbing, it was imperative for Team Europe to get off to a good start in Saturday afternoon's double matches.
To the delight of another York Hall sell-out, the dynamic duo of Marcus Chamat and Mika Immonen obliged as they whitewashed the US pairing of Deuel and Williams 5 - 0.
Europe won the lag but with no shot on the blue 2, Immonen elected to play safe. Deuel came to the table and cracked home a full length bank shot which brought a roar from the US fans on the balcony.
However, with no great position on the 3 ball, Cory attempted a tricky cut that stayed hanging in the jaws. From there, Chamat calmly cleared the table to put Team Europe 1 up.
Another terrific bank shot by Deuel in the next rack got him out of trouble after the break. He ran out of position, though and another 2 cushion bank attempt failed to make contact with the 2 ball.
Marcus Chamat for Europe had ball in hand but he was forced to play safe after running out of position. Williams had a go in a difficult situation but he left the 3 ball on for Immonen. Cool as ever, Mika ran out to put Europe 2 up.
The diminutive Swede ran out of position again in the next after a tough cut on the 1 ball, but Williams himself ran out of position and an attempted cut on the 3 ball left it on for Mika.
Once again, Immonen calmly cleared the table to put Europe in a very strong position at 3 - 0.
Charlie Williams left himself no shot on the 1 ball but laid a superb snooker which Immonen got out of but left it on for Deuel. Cory though, rolled it dead weight off the rail to the corner bag but the ball stayed out.
Chamat, started to clear but left himself a nightmare table length cut on the 9-ball and the roof nearly came off the York Hall when he bravely burried it in the corner pocket.
In what was to prove the final rack of the game, Immonen looked superb as he broke and ran to take Team Europe over the line by 5 - 0 and reassert their superiority at 6 - 4.
Speaking afterwards, Immonen was thankful to get Saturday afternoon off to a winning start; "I am very relieved as it was very important to start this way. Cory and Charlie were their best players yesterday so maybe it is a nick in their armour to take this 5 - 0."
Chamat said,"They came to win and so did we. There is nothing fake about the Mosconi Cup and sometimes your feelings come out."
Ortmann / Souquet v Strickland / Jones
Earl Strickland and Jeremy Jones kept the United States of America in touch as they disposed of the German pairing of Ortmann and Souquet to leave the score at 6 - 5 to Europe.
The Europeans won the lag and Souquet broke but with no clear table, a safety battle ensued on the red 3 ball.
It was Strickland who eventually made a slight mistake, and Ortmann cashed in with a superb long pot, gaining perfect position on the pink 5. From there the German skipper dished to put the Europeans one up.
Strickland came up trumps with a high quality break and with all the balls in place, he easily ran out to level things at 1 - 1.
A good break from Ortmann left the balls out but a poor shot going from the 4 to 5 ball, left him too much to do to gain position on the green six.
Oliver scratched screwing the cue ball the length of the table, and Jeremy Jones gratefully accepted the ball in hand to put the US 2 - 1 ahead against the break.
Jones stayed at the table to break in the fourth rack and it was another good one for Team USA.
With the wing ball down on the break, Double J had no troubles whatsoever clearing the table to leave the US at 3 - 1 ahead.
Souquet had two balls down off the break in the next rack, but with the 4 ball stuck to the green 6, both teams relied on safety.
An unfortunate double kiss nearly saw Ortmann go in off but the pink ran safe, leaving Jones snookered.
Jeremy though, returned the compliment and Souquet fouled trying to escape, giving 2002 World Pool Champion Strickland ball in hand. From there Strickland dished to put Team USA on the hill at 4 - 1.
Strickland made two balls on the break but an attempted cannon onto the 9-ball for victory fell short. Earl though recovered with a great bank shot on the red 3.
From there the Pearl cleared the table and theatrically pumped his fist as the US fans in the crowd celebrated.
Davis / van den Berg v Archer / Varner
In the most dramatic of finishes, Team America leveled the Mosconi Cup up at 6 - 6 after Nick Varner and Johnny Archer beat Steve Davis and Nick van den Berg 5 - 4.
That now completes doubles play for the tournament and with a potential eleven doubles matches remaining, anything can happen.
It all came down to the final rack as both teams had chances to seal victory and with the potential for Europe to finish two points ahead the nerves certainly showed.
Things started off calmly enough as Europe won yet another lag and van den Berg broke off and ran the table to draw first blood for the home team.
An Archer break in the next saw a ball drop but some safeties ensued before Johnny put Steve Davis in a snooker.
Steve escaped but left the red 3 on for Varner who made his first successful pot of the tournament. The US servicemen in the crowd gave a roar and Nick cleared up to level it at 1 - 1.
Davis was forced to push out in the next and Archer put him in real trouble, leaving the cue ball tight behind the orange 5.
Davis missed the tough escape, giving ball in hand to Nick Varner, but he jawed the pink 5. From there van den Berg made a courageous clearance having to make two blind cuts when he ran out of position.
Team America made it 2 - 2 in the next as Varner ran out from the break. In the following rack, van den Berg delivered a decent break shot but nearly ran out of position on the orange 5. He recovered though to clear and put Europe 3 -2 to the good.
Archer, who is starting to get up to his regular high speed at the table, broke and ran the next rack to level it at 3 - 3.
Disaster struck for Europe in the next as Davis failed to make a ball on the break and with the balls spread out, things looked ominous.
A terrible miss on the green 6 by Varner, though, let van den Berg back to the table with four balls left and he didn't hesitate to clear to put Europe on the hill at 4 - 3.
Fair play to Varner, though as he composed himself well and broke and ran out the next rack to tie the match up at 4 racks apiece.
Van den Berg broke in the final rack but a bad safety on the 1 ball left the table to Johnny Archer. In moments of high drama, he ran out of position on the brown 7 and missed a tight cut leaving a long pot on the brown 7 for Davis.
Davis came to the table and rolled in the 7 but missed a hard cut on the 9 ball with the white sitting awkwardly. Nick Varner then rolled the cue ball the length of the table to take the point and level up the 2002 Mosconi Cup at six matches apiece.
Archer new what the win meant , "We're definitely back in it that's for sure from being 5 - 1 down to 6 - 6 but it's not all over yet by any means."
Tables for the Mosconi Cup are supplied by Brunswick, the balls are made by Aramith and the cloth is made by Simonis. Sardo provide the rack and Predator are the Official Cue of the 2002 Mosconi Cup.
Europe Pulls Ahead 8-7 at Mosconi
Europe 8 - 7 USA
Ralf Souquet 4 - 5 Jeremy Jones
Oliver Ortmann 0 - 5 Johnny Archer
Steve Davis 5 - 3 Nick Varner
Europe will start the final day with a lead for only the second time in the history of the Mosconi Cup and if omens mean anything, the last time that happened was in 1995 when a European captain lifted the trophy for the only time.
This is courtesy of Steve Davis who put in another magnificent performance overturning Nick Varner 5 - 3 from 3 - 1 down.
The Europeans won yet another lag but nothing was on and a prolonged safety battle ensued. Varner finally got a chance when Davis failed to bank the orange 5 ball and left it out in the open.
The Kentucky Colonel took the chance and cleared the remaining three balls to take the early lead against the European break.
Varner made balls on the break and when a 6/9 combo presented itself, he grabbed it with both hands to put the United States two ahead.
Davis, though made a decent fist of his next break and ran out to bring the York Hall faithful to their feet.
With the wing ball regularly flying in, for once Varner came up dry, giving Davis the table. With no poting shot on the 1 ball, Davis put Varner in what appeared to be a full ball snooker.
Varner, though is a cagey old pro and he found a way of clipping the 1 ball and leaving Davis in trouble. Davis chose to play an intentional foul and pushed the 3 ball into a cluster with the 8 and 9.
Varner bagged the 1 and 2 and contrived to cut the 3 ball into the middle bag. After that it was plain sailing for Nick as he dished for 3 - 1.
Davis though came back in the next as some safeties following the break saw Varner leave a fine cut on the 1 ball for Davis. He took it and ran through the remaining balls to go to 2 - 3.
Another dry break for Nick Varner gave Davis the table but with the balls tied up at the bottom end, he elected to push out. Varner put Davis back in and he then tied Varner up in knots with a class snooker.
Nick missed the 1 ball to give Davis ball in hand and with nothing set fair on the table, Davis set about the balls with methodical concentration and he cleared to take it to 3 -3.
Steve made two balls on the break but the table didn't leave an obvious run out. However, that meant nothing to Romford Slim as he cleared the seven balls to go into a 4 - 3 lead.
Just when his break appeared to be deserting him, Varner came good and spread the balls across the table. Nick, though needed to force position from 4 to 5 and left himself having to play a safety.
Davis returned to the table and left Varner a full ball hit on the orange 5. He missed though, but the ball only offered Steve a very thin cut. He made it and left a long pot on the green 6 which went too.
With the 8 and 9 balls out in the open, Davis wrapped it up 5 - 3 to put the Europeans 8 - 7 to the good.
Davis was relieved and delighted to be going into the final day in the lead; "We've haven't been brainwashed into thinking that the Americans are invincible at singles. Look, we've got Ralf Souquet, we've got Mika, we've got good players here.
"Ralf's was a monster comeback tonight and mine was an uphill battle. But I kept the pressure on Nick. He seemed to be getting into his stroke but that's the way it unfolds.
"We've got a great team spirit though, but this game is so, so intense; any mistake can do it and if you mess that 9 ball up it doesn't matter what has gone before.”
"After missing that 9 ball this afternoon, I was really hoping that I would come out and perform tonight. It's got such a marvelous atmosphere here and having everyone on your side is a massive bonus."
Ralf Souquet v Jeremy Jones
Earlier, in another classic encounter, Team Europe regained their lead in the 2002 Ladbrokes.com Mosconi Cup after Ralf Souquet performed a Lazarus-like comeback against Jeremy Jones.
The Kaiser trailed 1 - 4 and looked seemingly dead and buried but he dug deep and hauled back the racks to take down Double J.
Once again the Europeans won the lag and Souquet got off to the best possible start as he smashed home the break and cleared up in quick time to go 1 - 0 ahead.
As if to emphasize the closeness of the tournament, Jones matched Souquet with a very composed run out after rattling in a couple of balls on the break.
With Souquet back to the table, he ran out of balls to pot with the pink 5 tied up with the 9 and played the only safety shot available.
An unusual situation followed with the 5 ball tied up with the 8 on the rail. Souquet forced Jones into two fouls and with a third on offer Souquet elected to place the cue ball right up against the 5.
He pocketed the 5 but double-hit the cue ball and referee Michaela Tabb called a foul. With ball in hand, Jones mopped up the remainder of the table to take the rack against the head.
Buoyed by events of the previous rack Jones broke well in the fourth rack and ran out to put the United States 3 - 1 ahead.
Ralf's break in the next left him with nothing, and when Jeremy put him into a snooker, Ralf could only foul when attempting an escape. Jones, who looks as cool as a cucumber under what is intense pressure, cleared to reach the hill.
Ralf's first bit of roll came in the fifth rack when Jones came up dry on his break shot. Putting nightmare of the third rack behind him, the Kaiser cleared to get back to 2 - 4 down.
Souquet powered in three balls on the next break and ran the table to take another rack back.
Jones broke in the eighth but missed a cut on the 2 ball trying dislodge the pink 4 which was stuck up against the brown 7.
Finally, a loose shot from Jones left Souquet a very hard cut on the 4 ball but he made it and made a slow, methodical clearance to take the rack and break for the match.
In what was one of the Mosconi Cup's greatest comebacks, Souquet put three balls down on the break and cleared the table to put the Europeans back into the lead at 7 - 6.
Commented Ralf after he had soaked up the adulation of the crowd, "When I was down 4-1, I was always hoping I would have a chnace but you know that with alternate break, your opponent will get one too.
"I had him on two fouls, but that was a really bad hit I did in the third rack, but I knew I had to stay in there. In the end I went for it and took the chance.”
"The crowd is definitely behind us and that is down to the team. Hopefully they can lift Oliver to victory."
Oliver Ortmann v Johnny Archer
Johnny Archer put in a sterling performance to put the 2002 Ladbrokes.com Mosconi Cup back on level terms after his opposite number Oliver Ortmann gifted him an incredible four balls in hand in the 5 - 0 victory.
With Steve Davis and Nick Varner the last pairing up, the tournament is finely poised.
Ortmann won yet another lag for the Europeans but got a little tied up leaving Archer the chance to put him under early pressure with a snooker. Oliver gave the Scorpion ball in hand as he missed and Archer cleared to take the first.
Archer broke and ran in the next and further disaster for Europe followed as Ortmann over drew the cue ball on his break shot and scratched in the top right pocket.
With ball in hand once again for Johnny he comfortably disposed of the remaining balls to go further ahead.
Ortmann had a chance in the fourth rack but missed the 5 ball playing a table length bank shot to once again, gift Archer ball in hand. With Christmas just around the corner, Johnny gratefully accepted to put himself on the hill at 4 - 0.
Incredibly, Ortmann scratched on the next break to give the US captain his fourth ball in hand in five racks. With the balls spread out nicely, the Scorpion cleared them to take victory.
Tables for the Mosconi Cup are supplied by Brunswick, the balls are made by Aramith and the cloth is made by Simonis. Sardo provide the rack and Predator are the Official Cue of the 2002 Mosconi Cup.
Europe Takes a 10-8 Lead at Mosconi Cup
EUROPE 10 - 8 USA
Oliver Ortmann 5 - 2 Johnny Archer
Mika Immonen 4 - 5 Jeremy Jones
Nick van den Berg 5 - 3 Cory Deuel
With the Sunday afternoon session completed Europe have their best chance yet to win the Mosconi Cup after two wins out of the three matches left them within two points of the winning line.
OLIVER ORTMANN put in a captain's performance to avenge his Saturday whitewash by Johnny Archer as he avenged his opposite number with a 5-2 victory.
Ortmann barely played a ball out of place throughout as he gave Europe a two point lead with only three more needed to take the Mosconi Cup.
Before the match, Archer said: "If you're not nervous, you're not breathing" and that just about summed up the atmosphere in the York Hall.
Ortmann won the lag and looking more confident than he had all week, ran the balls before slotting in a neat 6/9 cannon to take the opener.
Archer though, responded with a solid break leaving himself a long pot on the 1 ball. He made that and with all the remaining balls spread nicely he cleared the table to level things.
Playing in possibly the most important Mosconi Cup match of his career, Oliver executed another good break leaving a possible run out on. He gamely took it on to take the score to 2-1 Europe.
Archer had no shot on the 1 ball following the next break and elected to push out. Oliver put him back in and a safety battle followed. Finally Archer offered Ortmann a very tough table length 1/6 combo, which he took on and made.
Oliver though, overran on the 3 ball laeaving a very tough cut which again he made, dislodging the 5 ball in the process. That was all he needed and Ortmann took that and the 9 to go 3-1.
Breaking in the next, Ortmann put in another pearler, but slightly overcooked the cueball to leave himself bridging awkwardly over the 9.
Oliver, though, rose to the occasion, cutting in the pink 5 and giving himself ideal position on the orange 5. From there, Ortmann cleared the remaining balls to go to the hill at 4-1.
Archer broke in the sixth rack and was forced to play a push out. Ortmann put him back in and Johnny pushed the 1 ball onto the top rack.
Oliver made his first mistake of the match as he failed to bring the cue ball far enough down the table. Archer pocketed the 1 ball and then methodically ran out to get back to 4-2.
In what was to be the final rack of the match Ortmann smashed home another break and with the 2 ball dropping, the Euro skipper had a shot on the 1 ball. From there, with the tension mounting, he cleared the table to put Team Europe ahead by 9-7.
"Before today I didn't feel too comfortable, Ortmann admitted. "But when I woke up I decided I didn't want to leave England with nothing to show and it worked out this time.”
"Yesterday he beat me easily and I was thinking a lot about that but all I could do was try my best and I got lucky a couple of times on the break."
Mika Immonen v Jeremy Jones
A GOLDEN break in the deciding rack saw Jeremy Jones complete a comeback to beat Mika Immonen 5-4.
Immonen three times handed the table over to the American when in a commanding position and Jones made him pay before taking the final rack with a stroke of fortune.
The United States won their first lag in a long time but Jeremy Jones had no raelistic shot on the 1 ball and played safe. Immonen, who looked really fired up coming into the arena, pounced and he took the 1 ball on the set up a run out and take the first rack againts the break.
In the second, Mika crashed home the break but left a long angled cut on the 1 ball. He took that and from there he ran out to go 2 ahead.
Jones had another unlucky break in the third that left Immonen a good opportunity to take another rack against the head. However, the Iceman, scratched in the middle pocket trying to gain position on the black 8.
With ball in hand, Jeremy took the 8 and 9 balls to get it to 2-1.
Putting the disappointment of the previous behind him, the Iceman put the 1 ball down on the break and had a easy position on the 2 ball. From there Mika ran out to out the match at 3-1.
Jones was left with a long pot on the 1 ball after the next break and he drew a round of applause as he potted it and gained position on the next ball. The layout wasn't great but he played it to perfection to go to 3-2.
Another solid break from Immonen saw him have a shot at the 2 ball but he agonisingly jawed it to leave the table at Jones' mercy. He skillfully cleared up to level the scores at 3-3.
Jones could only play a safety on the 1 ball but it collided with the orange 5 to give Mika a chance.
Looking less than ice cool, Immonen took his time but cleared the balls to get to the hill. With the break in his favour Immonen made the 3 and 8 balls and left himself a chance on the yellow 1.
The tough shot was gaining position on the orange 5 which was tied up on the rail with the 7. Immonen chose safety and left the white right up behind the brown, leaving Jones a two rail kick shot to escape.
Jones left a tough one for Mika and he missed it giving Jones the chance he was looking for. From there he cleared to leave things all square with the final rack to go.
Unbelievably, Jones made the first golden break of the 2002 Mosconi Cup as the 4 ball kicked in the 9. He took the match and bring the overall score to Europe 9-8.
"That was the hardest match I've ever played, I didn't think Mika was going to miss a ball, Jones said. "I didn't notice the crowd until the end and there are pool gods and they helped me out at the end.
"It was tremendous to win that because it looked bad but he made a mistake and that opened the door for me and I took my chance."
Nick van den Berg v Cory Deuel
DUTCH rookie Nick van den Berg held his nerve to move Team Europe to within two points of only their second ever Mosconi Cup win.
Van den Berg edged out Cory Deuel 5-3 in a match which had everything to thrill the packed York Hall crowd.
Deuel won the lag but unfortunately scratched on the break. Van den Berg though, ran out of position and was forced to kick the pink 4 up the table. Deuel made a long cut on the 4 and ran out the go 1-0 up for the USA.
Van den Berg made it 1-1 in the next as he got Deuel on the three foul rule. A dry break from Nick saw five balls reassemble in a cluster at the opposite end of the table.
Nick tied Deuel up twice and the third time Cory scratched making the escape handing the rack to Nick.
In the next the balls looked set for Deuel but inexplicably he missed a simple 8 ball and Van den Berg gratefully accepted the table to get to 2-1.
Nick broke and ran the next to get to 3-1 but Cory matched him in the fourth rack to make it 3-2.
Van den Berg made a ball on the break but completely missed the 2 ball trying to make the narrowest of cuts. With ball in hand, Deuel cleared up to get back to 3 racks apiece.
In the next rack, Deuel made three balls on the break but needed to push out. From there he left the 2 ball on but with the white tight against the top rail.
Van den Berg gave the table back to him and Deuel made an incredible shot, jacking the cue up and flying the white down the table to pocket the 2 ball. Then, in another incredible twist, Deuel unluckily scratched leaving the 9 ball on its spot for Nick to go 4-3 to van den Berg.
Anyone who doubted van den Berg's nerve under pressure as a Mosconi Cup debutant would have been left eating their words as he cooly broke and ran out the next to give Europe a 5-3 victory and at 10-8 leave them within two points of the Mosconi Cup.
"Yesterday I lost 5-1 so it was important for me to do well, I got lucky when he scratched but he made the shot of the tournament during the match, van den Berg said.
"Because we're playing for our continent, not even ourselves or our team, there is so much pressure and I've never played in a tournament with as much atmosphere as this."
Europe Wins Mosconi Cup!
EUROPE WIN MOSCONI CUP FOR FIRST TIME SINCE '95!
Europe 12 - 9 USA
Marcus Chamat 5 - 3 Nick Varner
Ralf Souquet 3 - 5 Charlie Williams
Steve Davis 5 - 4 Earl Strickland
Team Europe have won the Mosconi Cup for the first time in seven years on an emotional night of high drama at Bethnal Green's York Hall. It was Steve Davis who sunk the winning 9 ball after his arch pool nemesis Earl Strickland missed critical ball in the 21st game of the tournament.
That was a cue for mass bedlam as the six hundred or so pool fans at the atmospheric venue raised the roof.
In what was a battle of cuesports giants, Steve Davis opened the proceedings in what was the final game and played a nice snooker with no pot available after the break. Strickland though, escaped from it and then Steve crazily missed the 1 ball trying to edge it into the pack and with ball in hand Strickland cleared.
Earl broke and ran in the next to put the USA 2 - 0 ahead and things were looking ominous for Davis.
He broke well, however, in the next and with the layout looking good, Davis ran out to get off the mark and within a rack of Earl.
A horror scratch by Strickland in the fourth put Davis back at the table. He took the 1 and 2 but left himself a tough one on the pink 5. Steve used the rest and although he made the shot he had no chance to pot the 5 and played safe.
Earl had a chance to pocket the five via the rail but missed too leaving the five on. Davis took it and cleared a tough layout to go 2 - 2.
In the next Davis got the crowd going as he stroked home his break shot and cleared the table to out the Europeans 3 - 2 to the good.
Strickland made a ball on the break but missed a long cut on the 2 ball into a blind pocket. Davis leapt out of his chair.
Steve miscued though, on a straight orange 5 to give it back to Strickland and he ran out to make it 3 - 3.
Davis broke off in the seventh and two balls dropped and left him a nice shot on the 2-ball. From there he took the rack with a calm, methodical clearance.
With Europe on the hill, Strickland stepped up to the plate to break. Two balls disappeared but the problem ball was the orange 5 which was locked up on the rail with the 8 ball. He took it though after gaining perfect position. From there Strickland cleared to go 4 - 4.
With Davis breaking for the Mosconi Cup, he had no shot on the 2 ball after the 1 went down. He pushed out and Strickland trapped him in a snooker. Davis scratched making a table length bank shot to give Earl ball in hand. Earl dished but ran out of position on the green 6.
There was a hush as he cued up on a tight cut into the top right hand pocket and a roar went up as Strickland missed.
With three balls separating Europe from a historic Mosconi Cup victory Steve Davis steered them home as he nudged in the 6, put the black 8 into the same pocket and then came down the table for that historic 9 ball.
Marcus Chamat v Nick Varner
IN THE FIRST MATCH OF THE EVENING SESSION MARCUS CHAMAT rode his luck to see off Nick Varner and put Europe on the hill in the 2002 Ladbrokes.com Mosconi Cup.
Chamat produced two flukes in the seventh rack to beat the Kentucky Colonel 5-2 and give Oliver Ortmann's side the perfect chance to secure the trophy for only the second time.
Varner won the lag for the US but with the 1 ball obscure he chose to jump but unfortunately he missed the pot and left it on for Chamat. He potted the 1 ball and 2 ball but with no shot on the 3, he laid a snooker.
A lengthy safety exchange followed but Chamat always had the upper hand. In the end Varner missed on the orange 5 leaving it on and Chamat cleared to the 9 ball.
A long cut off the rail looked tricky under the circumstances but was successfully executed to put Europe 1-0 up.
Chamat broke in the next and played a class bank to put the 1 ball in and give himself a tough cut on the 2. He took it on and went on the clear the table to go 2-0 ahead.
Varner broke well in the third but he ran out of position on the 2 ball giving Marcus a chance. Playing superbly he ran the table to go further ahead at 3-0.
There was no shot on the 1 ball for Chamat in the next so he left the cue ball behind the brown 7 and Varner snookered.
Nick's attempt to get out of the snooker left the balls spread and once again, Chamat did the business to get to 4-0.
At last Varner had a good chance on the 1 ball and the rest of the balls available. He ran out to give himself a life line.
With the match in his grasp, Chamat came up dry on the break and left Varner an opportunity to strike back.
However, Nick snookered himself trying to separate the 5 and 8 balls and bashed the cue ball off the rail to hit the 5.
Chamat cannoned the 8 ball in to stay at the table and got lucky snookering Varner on the 5. Marcus got lucky again attempting a bank on the 5 ball and left an impossible snooker for Varner to get out of.
He fouled and gave Chamat ball in hand but incredibly he scratched into the middle bag to give Varner another lifeline which he gratefully accepted to get it back to 2 - 4.
Three balls on the break for the Kentucky Colonel but the position from 1 to 2 meant he had to play safe. Chamat followed before Nick layed another snooker. Chamat fluked a bank that saw the 2 ball drop and then, amazingly fluked the 3 ball into the middle pocket after it missed in the top right.
Finally Chamat left an awful cut on the 9 ball but somehow he made it and the York Hall erupted as Europe went to 11-8.
"It was an unbelievable feeling because the pressure was getting to me and this is totally different to any other tournament, Chamat said. "I played very good until 4-1 and then I made an easy error but I had a bit of luck and I hope this means it's meant for us to win.
"The atmosphere is like a football match and we're using up a lot of energy!"
Ralf Souquet v Charlie Williams
CHARLIE WILLIAMS breathed some much needed fire in to Team USA's defence of the Mosconi Cup with a match saving win over Ralf Souquet.
Souquet never reached top gear in a slow match as both players put in a meditated performance without wishing to take too many risks.
Souquet won the lag for Europe but with no shot on the 1 ball he wrapped Williams in a snooker which he escaped from. Ralf however, made the first mistake of the game when he failed to bank out of Charlie's snooker.
With ball in hand, Williams played the 1/9 combination to take the first rack against the break.
The American put the 1 and 2 balls down off the break . However he pushed out with no shot on the red 3. Ralf offered the table back to Charlie and he unluckily scratched kicking out.
With ball in hand and the table, Ralf ran out of position going from 5 to 6 and laid a tidy snooker for Williams. He made contact with the green 6 but left it on for Ralf.
He rolled it the length of the table but unfortunately missed leaving the table clear for Williams to go 2-0.
Needing a good break in the third rack, Souquet could not get a shot to pocket the 1 ball but the snooker was good enough to make Charlie give him the table back with a nice shot on the 1 ball.
After looking tense in the opening two racks, Ralf composed himself to run out and go 2-1 behind.
Williams next break came up dry and left Ralf half a chance on the 1 ball. He took it and gained nice position on the blue 2. It seemed to take forever, but Ralf eventually ran out to level the score at 2-2.
Souquet got the balls moving on the break and the 9 rolled into the jaws of the top left pocket. Ralf took the 1, 2 and 3 before rolling home a 4/9 combo to go into the lead at 3-2.
Williams took control of the next rack after a good break and seemed to speed his play up as he ran in quick time to level it.
Souquet had a shot at the 1 ball in the next but the layout was tough so the Kaiser elected to tuck the cue ball up behind the red 3.
Williams banked brilliantly out of it, potting the 2 and gaining position on the 3. He cleared the balls but left himself a terrible straight 9 ball off the spot which took what seemed to be an eternity to drop. It did though to leave Williams on the hill at 4-3.
Another great break by Williams saw three balls go down but with the 2 ball blocked he pushed out . Ralf put him back in and from there Williams put him into a snooker.
Ralf kicked out of the snooker but left the 2 ball on for Williams and he seized the initiative to take the rack and the match 5-3.
Tables for the Mosconi Cup are supplied by Brunswick, the balls are made by Aramith and the cloth is made by Simonis. Sardo provide the rack and Predator are the Official Cue of the 2002 Mosconi Cup.