European Team Championships 2002
Men's Final
England  2 - 2  France  ... England win on games countback

#4  Del Harris lost Jean-Michel Arcucci  2/9, 3/9, 9/5, 9/5, 9/2
#3  Lee Beachill bt Gregory Gaultier  3/9, 9/2, 9/5, 9/4
#1  Chris Walker lost Thierry Lincou  9/4, 9/5, 10/9
#2  Mark Chaloner bt Renan Lavigne  9/0, 10/8, 9/0

These reports and photos were posted on SquashPlayer match by match, as the drama unfolded.

Match #1 -  Arcucci comeback
In scenes of near bedlam the French No.4 Jean Michel Arcucci came back from a 2/0 deficit to defeat England's Del Harris in the first match of the final of the European Team Championships in Boblingen, Germany.

On a hot court with a bouncy ball Harris powered his way to a convincing lead 9-2, 9-3 with Arcucci defensive to the point of being negative. The Frenchman however kept in touch to sneak ahead in the third as Harris became exasperated with the referee. The racket was knocked out of his hand on the final point and he ran to show he could have got the ball, only to be rewarded with a no let as his opponent got a game back 9-5. In the fourth Harris established a 3-0 lead, tinned, received a no let and had a little off-court interchange with the referee in which he asked the crowd if anyone had glasses for the referee and suggested that he was a 'donut'.

It didn't do him any good. He received a conduct stroke and subsequently lost the plot. In erratic play he tinned and was stroked three times for Arcucci to level the game 9-5 in much excitement.

A chat with England coach Paul Carter between games, a change into fresh kit, and a positive start saw him looking good at 2-0 in the fifth but it was a mirage. A tin, a questionable attempt at the nick off service and a slide started from which he was never able to recover.

Harris never regained service and after 2 hours 12 minutes Arcucci was bouncing and punching his fists in the air as pandemonium broke out in the French corner and the crowd stood in a standing ovation. You would have thought they had won the whole thing.

There was a long way to go yet. But this was a match they needed to challenge England ...

Match #2 - Beachill levels it
It was an edgy start by Lee Beachill in the third string match against Gregory Gaultier following he fall of Del Harris. He tinned seven times in the first losing it 9-2 as the Frenchman kept him at the back.

"I had to try to get back in front. He got me behind him at the start," said Beachill. "He is a good player. I was slow to start and he was very good."
It took time but Beachill worked his way back into the match taking the second 9-2 and going 4-1 ahead in the third. Gaultier surged to go ahead briefly 5-4 with some sharp kills, Beachill responded with two winners and in the deciding phase of the match Gaultier lapsed into error and lost it in a hand 9-5.

He was not to get it back. At 3-6 in the fourth he was in touch but Beachill was by now clinical and tactically sound against the erratic flare of his opponent.  A hand of winners from 4-6 gave it to Beachill 9-4. It was not easy, took 1 hour 28 minutes but England were back in the match 3-9, 9-2, 9-5, 9-4.

"I needed to win," said Beachill. "It's all to play for now."

"We still don't know," said Gaultier on the result.

The matches are tied at one all but as No.1 player's Chris Walker and Thierry Lincou fight it out England are ahead on games and that could be important.

Match #3 - Lincou puts France ahead
In emotional and dramatic scenes at the Dome in Boblingen French No.1 Thierry Lincou survived a brilliant last ditch comeback form Chris Walker to win a valuable 3/0 victory and put the French 2/1 up in this finals clash. The pressure is now on Mark Chaloner at No.2. He has to win 3/0 to guarantee an England victory.

If the Frenchman Renan Lavigne gets a game it will be down to a points count back and my calculations are that the French are ahead there, 80 points to 78 points.

At the end of this match every point was cheered as Walker came back. He had been a little error prone, lacked any consistent length and seemed certain to fall to a very focused Lincou.

The first two games had gone 9-4, 9-5 and at 7-2 the end was in sight for Walker but as he admitted afterwards he was able to pull out "a few of my old tricks", finally found some length and time on the T, allowing him to intercept and we were able to witness a brilliant corner to corner display of shots, deception and unbelievable recoveries. Every rally there was an incident. Walker pressured the referee. Twice Lincou was drilled off the back wall. Every point was cheered and the chants of the French - Allez, Allez rang around the Dome.

Anything could have happened at the end as Walker came back to save three match balls amongst countless lets, level 8 all, win game ball himself 9-8 before Lincou's winning clinger forced a mistake and he was rightly denied a let on the final French winner. There was pandemonium as Lincou, euphoric, bounced in the air and Walker's racket disappeared down the court into pieces.

The crowd were standing again, cheering as the players hugged on court and even the referee had his hand shaken.

Match #4 - Chaloner clinches it for England
It all came down to the  final match and England had the right man to send on in a tight situation and they had used him before ­ Mark Chaloner. 

Charged up and focused he came on and and blew away an understandably edgy Lavigne 9-0. That seems to be that. It was not over but the pendulum had swung dramatically England's way. The second game however was different. Lavigne got into his game, Chaloner made a few errors and the Frenchman was suddenly ahead 5-1.

It took a long time then but at 7-5 Lavigne smashed a volley back at Chaloner, clenched his fist at his baying supporters, received a stroke to be on gameball 8-5, and it seemed deservedly his. But Chaloner was having none of it. He fought back, levelled in a hand, and then when he had the chance himself slammed in a unplayable backhand straight nick to take the game 10-8.

That levelled the games in the tie but effectively the French challenge, brave challenge, was over. The supporters were muted, Lavigne was muted in his play as Chaloner busied himself with his work, rattled off a 9-0 game and retained the European title for England.

"We knew we were in for a hell of a match today. The French team have come on a lot in the last few years," said England coach David Pearson.

"It was an example of what will and friendship can achieve," said the French coach Andre Delhoste.

Also see:
Chris Walker

Also see:
Chris Walker

Arcucci comeback

the French team
congratulate Arcucci  ...

Beachill brings England level