Commentary

• Semi-finals James Le Moignan produced two "last shots" totalling 58 yards to take the opening game of his semi-final against Stephen Mulliner. Stephen laid a DSL when for 2 and 4-b but James, who knows the east boundary of Jersey's Court 4 as well as anyone, was spot on with his lift. He embarked on a delayed TP with B on K but rushed K out of position at rover. However, Stephen missed the lift and James made rover off B but failed to get a good rush to the peg. The lengthy roll peg-out missed and he decided to peg out K. Stephen hit the 12 yarder on B with R and took that to the peg having wired B from the peg on the S boundary (2yds E C1), laying rush to 4-b in C3. However, James hit from 38 yards to snatch victory. Game 2 was a rapid 5th turn TP for Stephen. Game 3 featured an attempted sxp by Stephen which came to grief when his roll of the peelee to 2-b while approaching the hoop 4 pioneer from near H2 swerved into the peg and glued. James missed from 10yds, Stephen laid and James now hit from 24yds and went to 4-b. Stephen missed but James failed to approach hoop 1. Stephen cornered and eventually James bounced off 3 with K. Stephen then joined wide, James cornered leaving his K near 3. Stephen Y to the peg, James took the aggressive lift with K, missed and Stephen finished. In the other semi, Jose Riva won his 24th and 25th consecutive games in beating Richard Griffithes. by Stephen Mulliner
• The final. Jose went first and laid a super-shot but missed Stephen's max distance reply from C3. Stephen hit and went to 1-b with Y and Jose missed the tea-lady. Stephen then stuck in H1 with R when trying to hold a rush to C3 so Jose hit with K and went to 4-b with a MSL. Stephen missed from C3 and Jose set up a delayed TP but failed to take-off from Y into position at 5 and decamped with B to Eb level with 5. Stephen picked up a break with R and re-embarked on the sxp, managing to peel 1-b by about 4 inches. This proved costly when his split from the Nb sending the H5 pioneer to E of 2-b left R almost wired from Y. Jose soon had his delayed TP back under way and but failed penult with two peels done. This allowed Stephen to take Y from 2-b to 4-b and cross-wire B and K at 4, R's hoop. Jose missed the 30 yarder and Stephen finished +4tp. In Game 2, Stephen reached 4-b in turn 3 but Jose hit with Y from C3 too well and was unable to get a rush to 1 or to K, the ball near 2. He attempted a roll to load 2 and get a rush on K but fell short and tried a pass-roll to H1 which ended with Y 3yds SE. He rejoined R by drifting to N of H2 so Stephen sent K to C3. Jose produced a reasonable rush and an excellent 10 yard take-off to make 1 and 2 but chose to rush to B just off the Eb. However, both rush and take-off fell short and he had to take-off to K in C3. This was hit just too hard and allowed Stephen to set up a killer leave with R and Y 28 yds apart in SW and NW of H1 and 2. Jose missed to the Sb and Stephen finished to claim his 13th European AC.Championship. by Stephen Mulliner

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