England Clinch
European Double
Howard Harding reports
In the longest men's final on record, England retained the European Team Championships title in Nottingham after beating France by the narrowest of margins. Earlier in the day, England defeated Netherlands to secure the women's title for the 27th year in succession, but for the first time since 1988 dropped a match in the final.

World Junior Champion James Willstrop, the 19-year-old from Yorkshire making his national debut, put England's men ahead with a 9-2 3-9 9-7 9-3 win over experienced Frenchman Jean-Michel Arcucci.

Their 97-minute battle was overshadowed by the clash between Nottingham hero Simon Parke and his club team-mate Renan Lavigne, the French No3. It took two hours and two minutes to separate the pair - with Parke, despite having two match balls in the fourth game, eventually losing 3-9 9-2 8-10 10-9 9-3 as France levelled the tie.

Playing in his first European final for England, world No1 Peter Nicol restored order for the hosts with a 9-0 5-9 10-8 9-0 win in 84 minutes over world No6 Thierry Lincou.

The England team management now knew that only a single game was needed by squad No2 Lee Beachill in the final match of the tie. His opponent Gregory Gaultier, however, had clearly not read the script - and duly claimed the opening game for France 9-3. 

Further calculations revealed that Beachill simply needed a total of nine points from the match to ensure victory - and the packed gallery counted down the further six points required. The Yorkshireman, however, took the second game - and calculators were duly discarded as England celebrated their historic win after more than seven hours of play!

In the women's final, England were tested for the first time in the event. After third string Rebecca Macree put the hosts ahead against surprise opponents Netherlands, former world champion Cassie Jackman crashed to a 9-4 3-9 9-5 10-9 defeat by Dutch champion Vanessa Atkinson - a repeat of the Dutch world number six's win in last month's final of the Irish Open.

Despite never having played a deciding rubber for England before, world No3 Linda Charman cruised to a 9-4 9-2 9-1 win over second string Annelize Naude to ensure that the title stayed in England.

Wales won the men's play-off for third place in repeat of last year's tie with Netherlands at the same stage - and 2002 runners-up Scotland secured a third place finish in the women's event.

Ireland celebrated their best European finish for ten years, taking sixth place in both the men's and women's events from seeded positions of nine - and Sweden's tenth-seeded men claimed fifth place with a squad featuring no players on the PSA Tour. The rise of squash in Spain was powerfully demonstrated by Spanish victories in the men's play-off for 7th place and the women's play-off for 9th position - in both cases ahead of seedings.

The European Squash Federation's 'Fair Play Awards', selected by the event referees for the man and woman who demonstrate exemplary fair play on court, were presented to Oriol Salvia (Spain) and Charlie de Rycke (Belgium).
 

Beachill gets the game he needs

Women's top three
 

Another Euro Double for England
England's men claimed their 28th European Team
title in a marathon encounter with France.
Ian McKenzie saw the drama unfold ...

In the incredibly close 2002 final the French felt that there was a chance for an upset, but that when Peter Nicol became eligible for England their chances would be gone.

Their premonition proved right ... but they were almost wrong. This men's European Teams Championship final was again very close, with Nicol's gut wrenching effort to come back from 7-3 down in the third against Lincou proving vital.

Even then it was not all over. Here's how it happened:

Willstrop sets England away
James Willstrop ground out the first match on a hot court that negated his brilliant skills, but his opponent Jean-Michel Arcucci collected a vital game for his 97 minutes of effort and this final would come down to games and the quick addition of points on the back of envelopes.

Lavigne fights back
Simon Parke, at third string for England, set off in dominant English fashion taking the first game 9-3 but Frenchman Renan Lavigne fought back.

The French have now dropped any subservience for the English. They know their time will come. Lavigne levelled with the second 9-2 and as the third game progressed into a desperately close encounter with the advantage flowing back and forth it almost hit stalemate the 7 all. At a game apiece Lavigne, who had the slightest edge in forcing the play, reached game ball first. Parke levelled with a brilliant backhand drop, won game ball himself and clinched it on the second attempt 10-8 to go 2/1 up.

The fourth was again desperately close with Lavigne pressurising Parke and going away to a 5-0 advantage before Parke again levelled with shots. Lavigne, tiring rather, fell into Parke's game exchanging shots and getting involved in draining breathtaking rallies. Parke won matchball only to be denied a let when his line was blocked. A tinned drop, and a ball scrapped off the side that Lavigne despatched with a crosscourt levelled the scores again.

Parke's matchball opportunity was gone, Lavigne won gameball 9-8 when Parke was denied a let when he retrieved unexpectedly and half the crowd broke into applause at the assumed winner. He was distressed at the denial for he had stopped and appealed for distraction, although admittedly he was in a poor position. Lavigne, anxious, tinned to give Parke another matchball at 9 all but now desperately tired he was stroked and Lavigne's clinging drive forced Parke to scrape of the side. His spiraling return dropped before the front.

Parke was now desperately tired from the draining corner to corner action and although he got to 3-2 in the fifth Lavigne was still running everything down and applying the pressure which took him through to the match 9-3 after 2 hours 2 minutes.

Nicol plays his part
The French had a match back but it looked unimportant as Lincou had a poor start against Nicol, losing the opening game 9-0. Nicol knew that a 3-0 win would be enough to clkaim the title for his adopted England. However Libncou knw it too, and he surprisingly came back to control the second 9-5. Lincou varied straight and wide crosscourts with deception, hard and low, played pressure volleys and when Nicol lobbed he seemed to be waiting for the ball to reply with deep volley smashes that kept Nicol on the move.

The Englishman worked desperately hard, diving and twisting as Lincou smashed him around the court but he hung on in the gut-wrenching rallies. When he was 7-3 down in the third the balls started to bounce for Nicol and he came back. Lincou had his chance at 7-3, he pressured Nicol, forced out the easy ball that could have given him the
vital game ball but tinned an easy drop tinned and Nicol had saved an improbable game. Lincou, so close to going 2/1 up and from his control of the match even of giving the French a 2-1 lead, was spent in the fourth as Nicol wrapped it up 9-0.

It was a performance that earned both players a standing ovation.

Gaultier attempts the impossible
England were now 2-1 up in matches, 8-5 in games and 19 points ahead of the French. A win was an improbable task but possible if Gregory Gaultier could beat Lee Beachill 3-0 and restrict him to just 9 points. The dream lived on for a while as the young Frenchman powered hard drives at Beachill who was playing with an ankle brace following his recent operation and was perhaps not at his best match fitness. Gaultier got the first 9-3 but when Beachill edged ahead to 6-5 his complaints to the referee only served to devalue his performance as Beachill took the game 9-5.

The victory had been won. The French held at bay for another year. Beachill held out his hand offering the Frenchman the chance to call it a day. Gaultier took it.

So what was the score?
Later there was to be much confusion as to whether the score was 2 all with Beachill conceding the match when the tie had been won (which became the official view), or 3-1 with Gaultier conceding once England had effectively won.

Either way it was a dramatic victory and we will be hearing more of this French team.
 

Full results

Photo Gallery

Play-off results

  FINAL PLACINGS  

Atkinson upsets Jackman
as England take Women's title
Ian McKenzie watches the Women's Final

Only twice previously in the history of the European Championships have England women lost a match in the final, the last time to Ireland in 1988.

Following Vanessa Atkinson's upset of Cassie Jackman in the Irish Open expectations for the final were heightened for the first string match in the European final between Netherland's Atkinson and  England's Jackman.

Rebecca Macree gave England the early lead 9-4, 10-8, 9-2  with a win over the Netherlands' no.3 Karen Kronemeyer.

Then in the battle of the no.1s Atkinson got away in the first 9-4, lost her way in the  second 3-9 and came back strongly to take the fourth 9-5. In the fifth Atkinson went from 3-5 through to matchball in a hand before Jackman levelled at 8 all.

Atkinson had another chance at 9 all when Jackman tinned on a risky a backhand crosscourt volley kill then forced her opponent low to scrap up a high recovery drop that she could not clear before Atkinson was there ready to strike so conceding a stroke and the match.

"I was trying to think back to Dublin and to remember what I did there," said Atkinson. "I have learnt to curb my inclination to go short all the time."

Atkinson read Jackman well, retrieved beautifully and often got a second chance with the rebounding ball on the hot Nottingham exhibition court. She was not overawed by Jackman's power and hit good length, lobbed well and countered efficiently to deny Jackman momentum. In the end Jackman was forced to take more risk than perhaps she wanted to and tinned too often. Although she came back form 8-5 down in the fourth the risk on the penultimate shot cost her the match.

Hope springs eternal, but an accident of historic proportions was needed if the former South African Annelize Naude, 21 in the world, was to trouble the world no.3 Linda Charman. Naude was tense throughout, too error prone and went down 9-4, 9-2, 9-1 to give  England the title 2-1.

Charman perhaps summed it up: "It was good to have a fight for the title."