USA beats Europe in the final game to win 2006 Weber Cup

USA clinched an amazing Weber Cup VII in the most dramatic fashion on a night of drama at the Barnsley Metrodome reports Luke Riches.

L-R Back row: Jason Couch, Bill Hoffman, Chris Barnes Front row: Tim Mack and Tommy Jones. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Europe had led 17-16 and looked on course to defend their title but America fought back by clinching the last singles match and then an epic Baker encounter to lift the trophy for the first time since 2002.

Delighted American captain Tim Mack praised the spirit of his team who battled well throughout the three-day competition, which was televised live on Sky Sports. Mack said: "It was a whole team effort. These guys are great players.

"The Europeans were fantastic today but we stuck together, hung on in there and were able to do it. I would always back these guys to come through over anyone.
"Everyone played their part and nobody really struggled apart from today where we all struggled as a team."

L-R Jens Nickel, Germany, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, Paul Moor, England, Tomas Leandersson, Sweden, and Tore Torgersen, Norway. Picture Lawrence Lustig. Click on the image to enlarge it.

The competition had enthralled the spectators as the lead changed hands and both sides, at times, looked down and out. Europe won the first frame but that proved to be a rare early highlight as USA dominated the second day's play as they took a seemingly unassailable 12-5 advantage.

But the Europeans fought back in style and going into the final session, the score stood at Europe 11-12 USA, with the hosts winning all five matches of the afternoon play. However, that run soon ended as Chris Barnes stopped the rot as he bowled a magnificent 280 game to take his side's lead to two points.

Barnes' score, the second highest of the tournament, was a huge 112 pins better than European captain Tomas Leandersson, who recorded the second lowest score of the event as Barnes' focused demeanor was in sharp contrast to his team's casual approach in the afternoon session.

Mika Koivuniemi and Jason Couch then produced the most dramatic finish in Weber Cup history in the second match of the evening. The match ended tied on 202-202 to force a ninth and tenth frame roll-off but that failed to separate them as they both finished on 49 pins.

It then went to a sudden death tenth frame and Koivuniemi went first with a strike, strike, nine sequence as Couch needed three strikes for victory but could only record a 9 with his opening roll.

Europe's man of the tournament was back to his striking best as Paul Moor reeled off seven consecutive strikes to kill off Bill Hoffman's hopes and complete an incredible Europe comeback as they leveled the match at 13-13.

Crowd favorite Jens Nickel (pictured) took Team Europe into a one point lead as he shocked World No.1 Tommy Jones in another exciting match up. The margin of victory was 24 pins but it was a big blow for the Americans as this was the first time the Europeans had the lead since Paul Moor's 300 game in the tournament opener.

Picture Lawrence Lustig. Click on the image to enlarge it.

With his team behind for the first time, Tim Mack needed a real captain's performance and started out well against his good friend Tore Torgersen. Mack though, left an open frame in the eighth to give Torgersen a real chance and the opportunity was not spurned as the Norwegian kept his run of strikes going to drill the American and increase Europe's lead to two points at 15-13.

Historically, the Baker format has always been the Americans forte and that was borne out in the sixth match of the evening session. Europe ran them close but the 39 point winning margin was just what USA needed to steady the ship as the score moved to 15-14.

In the next, Mika Koivuniemi started where he left off by putting in a devastating performance to beat Chris Barnes by a big 62-pin margin and restore Europe's two point advantage at 16-14.

Five strikes on the spin from Tommy Jones in the 31st game gave him a great opportunity to claw back a point for Team USA in his match against Paul Moor, but he ran out of steam though in the home straight as the match became tighter and tighter.

In the end, Moor needed to strike his last three frames to take victory by a single point and he got the first but a 7 pin left standing sealed his fate. Jason Couch, one of the fiercest competitors in the game, gutted out a 214–193 win over Jens Nickel in the next to restore parity at 16 points each.

In one of the most exciting matches of the evening, Tore Torgersen came good against Bill Hoffman to put Team Europe on the brink of victory. Both players gave it their all under extreme pressure, but Torgersen held himself together to make the crucial strike at the end to take the match by a mere seven pins.

The final singles match of the event was a clash of the captains. With glory in his sights, Tomas Leandersson needed to win to retain the trophy while Tim Mack was bowling to keep America in the game.

Mack dug the deepest as he began with a succession of strikes to build up a lead. Leandersson, by contrast was leaving pins standing and in the end the gap became too much as Mack took a deserved 26 pin victory to force the Baker format decider.

After 34 matches the two sides could not be separated and it would be a case of who held their nerve in the final baker match with everyone of the players being involved. When Bill Hoffman and Tim Mack failed to register strikes in the third and sixth breaks respectively, it looked like Europe would get their hands on the trophy again.

But Tomas Leandersson and Jens Nickel did likewise later in the match before an impossible split in the ninth break from Tore Torgersen proved to be the critical mistake and Tommy Jones made the vital shot to win the competition for America.