EUROPE TROUNCES USA IN MOSCONI CUP
by Ronnie Nathanielsz
Team Europe trounced the US in the PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup by a whopping 11-5 score to register the second widest margin in the history of the competition, .
The Europeans received an added honor when former World Pool Champion Mika Immonen who has been on an amazing run of victories pocketing the final 9-ball to clinch the award for the Mos Valuable Player.
Matchroom Sport’s Luke Riches said “It was a sweet moment for the 35 year-old as he had the same opportunity to bring the trophy home in Rotterdam two years ago but messed up with the finish line in sight. This time he made no mistakes as he took to the table following a lacklustre safety escape from Shane Van Boening and ran through the table for a 5-3 win.”
In a post match interview the likeable Finnish star who is a fairly regular visitor to Manila said “It seems I’m burying a few ghosts. I won the US Open where I had a tragic final in 2001, then I won the Japan Open where I had lost in the final four times in ten years and won that. Then, my final and biggest goal was to win the Mosconi Cup. Finally it has happened and I can’t believe it. I’m really overwhelmed.”
Immonen added “The heart was pumping as much as earlier in the day when I was running on the treadmill at nine miles per hour to keep my conditioning.”
In the end there was nothing really to worry about as Team Europe put together a comfortable four days as their ebullient skipper Alex Lely of the Netherlands made all the right moves, leading a team made up of players at the top of their game.
Lely who himself played for Team Europe in 1995 and 2005 when they were badly beaten noted that the Europeans “have got spanked quite often in this event. But I was made captain this year and I was very proud to be captain. I knew my team were already champions and they had my respect, we all had each other’s respect. We played with so much pride, discipline and focus on the task. They’re a machine, all I had to do was push the button, make the sandwiches and rack the balls.”
The Americans, on the other hand, struggled to master the break shot and had their backs to the wall as they trailed throughout the competition. In fact they didn’t win a single session.
Captained by veteran Nick Varner the Americans never gained sufficient momentum to mount a serious challenge. As Varner noted “We didn’t get the result we wanted but I would like to thank my team. You guys are champions and it has been my pleasure being your team captain, thanks for turning up.”.
Varner added “The score line was reversed to what I wanted to see but I have to congratulate Team Europe – they played great. “
All of the European team played their part with the pairing of Niels Feijen and Ralf Souquet particularly potent throughout as they won four out of four matches to really set their side on their way.
Following his heroics last year, local boy Tony Drago surprisingly did not produce a point but to be part of the winning team on his home island was adequate compensation.
Riches, in an email to www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports quoted Drago as saying “First of all a few weeks ago I lost a dear friend in Paul Medati so this goes to him. Secondly I tried to play my best. I played a great match against Strickland but he beat me 5-4 and Shane did the same,’ said an emotional Drago. The Americans are great players. We don’t see eye-to-eye because that’s what it means. I always wanted to lift the trophy in front of my mother and now I have.”
After 15 editions of the Mosconi Cup the Americans still stand way ahead 10-4 with one match even.
The event moves back to the MGM Grand in December 2009 and the USA will need to turn things around if they are to win the Mosconi Cup for the first time since 2005.
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