Europe Takes a 10-8 Lead at Mosconi Cup

2002 Ladbrokes.com Mosconi CupYork Hall, Bethnal GreenDay 4, Sunday 22nd DecemberEUROPE 10 - 8 USAOliver Ortmann 5 - 2 Johnny ArcherMika Immonen 4 - 5 Jeremy JonesNick van den Berg 5 - 3 Cory DeuelWith 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 JonesA 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 breakIn 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 DeuelDUTCH 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."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.

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