Mosconi Cup: Europe surge into 9-5 lead against USA
Friday 5 December 2014 06:44, UK
Europe are two points away from retaining the Mosconi Cup after surging into a 9-5 lead over the USA on day three in Blackpool.
The hosts won three of the four matches on Wednesday, leaving them in pole position to claim the title for the fifth successive year.
Trailing 6-4 heading into day three, the USA needed a good start but Justin Hall and John Schmidt fell to a 5-3 loss to Karl Boyes and Nikos Ekonomopoulos in the opening doubles match.
Hall gave them hope when he won 5-3 against Ekonomopoulos, but Boyes and Mark Gray then teamed up to beat Corey Deuel and Schmidt 5-3.
And Europe signed off in impressive fashion as world champion Niels Feijen won the final two games of his match with Justin Bergman to prevail 5-2.
Darren Appleton can edge Europe one step closer to victory if he defeats Shane van Boening in the opening game on Thursday evening.
“The Americans are still breaking well but the situations were a bit tougher,” said European captain Johan Ruijsink.
“We didn’t play our best earlier, it was scrappy at the start of the night but if you win scrappy matches that is huge. If you don’t play well but win that hurts the opposition.
“Anything can happen in any match but it would be an ideal plan to immediately step to ten points with Darren tomorrow. We don’t want to be over confident because it is the Mosconi Cup and if they pull one or two matches back we are in trouble again and the pressure is back on us. I’d like to win it in the first three matches tomorrow.”
Watch Day 4 of the Mosconi Cup live on Sky Sports 2 from 7pm, Thursday December 4.
