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The Mosconi Cup is back!

JAMES NALTON looks forward to a number of singles matches which will decide whether Europe retain their title or not, as the tournament returns for the first time since 2019

THE 2022 Mosconi Cup enters its final day of play in Las Vegas on Saturday when a number of singles matches will decide whether Europe retain their title or have to leave it in the US.

At the end of play on the second day, Thursday, the teams were level at 4-4, and with a mixture of doubles and singles games on Friday, it is expected to remain tight going into the final day.

The Mosconi Cup is a nine-ball pool tournament that pits the USA against Europe in a similar manner to that of golf’s Ryder Cup.

Doubles and singles matches are played across the four-day event and the first team to record 11 wins will be named champions.

The game of nine-ball pool itself is thought to have originated in the United States and most accounts say it emerged in the 1920s.

But as with many forms of pool — and just as the rules of pool played in local pubs can differ from place to place — it is difficult to say when the first nine-ball games were played.

The game grew in popularity and is now one of the most recognisable and most played versions of the sport. Arguably the most recognised of the pool World Championships uses the nine-ball format.

Its combination of billiards (cannons and plants), snooker (positional play) and straight and eight-ball pool means it tests most of the skills seen in other cue sports while also being one of the most entertaining and accessible.

The basic rules of hitting the lowest-numbered ball first, potting a ball in order to stay at the table, with the aim of potting the nine ball to win the game, leads to lots of creative play.

Games can be won the long way around by potting all the balls in a row from one to nine, or in quicker fashion by potting the nine ball after hitting the one ball or the other lowest ball remaining on the table in a billiards style, or even by potting the nine ball off the break.

The Mosconi Cup itself is named after Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer, Willie Mosconi, who, on top of his illustrious career in pool, was also a technical adviser for the 1961 film The Hustler, and performed a number of the pool trick shots in the film. A pool stuntman, if you like.

This is the 29th edition of the tournament, which dates back to 1994. Though the early editions were played in England, with several held at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, it was dominated by the USA.

Europe entered teams containing a mix of pool and snooker players, with snooker legend Steve Davis a regular in the team during the late ’90s and early 2000s.

The USA won eight of the first nine tournaments, but Europe did win the second edition in 1995. Their team that year featured a doubles pairing of two of the most entertaining players in the history of snooker, Jimmy White and Alex Higgins.

Even the modern great Ronnie O’Sullivan represented Europe twice in the tournament, in 1996 and 1997, occasionally partnering Davis in games and translating some of the entertainment he brings to the snooker table to the nine-ball game.

To this day only three Europeans have participated in more Mosconi Cups than Davis, showing how important he was to the profile of the tournament in its early years.

Europe was often overcome in those early days by the American pool and nine-ball specialists, including one of pool’s own legendary players, Earl Strickland.

Along with compatriot Johnny Archer, Strickland still holds the record for most wins at the tournament with nine. His last win came in 2005 but at the age of 61, he is back in 2022 as a wildcard pick for the USA team and has further raised the profile of this edition in his home country.

Europe has caught up with the USA in recent years to the point where they overtook them in overall wins in last year’s tournament.

There is no need for Europe to bolster their ranks with snooker stars any more, as some of the best pool players on the circuit such as Ralf Souquet of Germany, the Netherlands’ Niels Feijen and, more recently, Scotland’s Jayson Shaw, have led the way for Europe.

Strickland and Shaw traded blows in the tournament’s eventful opening press conference, but Shaw came out on top by a score of five to three when the pair met in a Fans Choice singles match on Thursday.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for you,” Shaw said to Strickland after a previously fiery press conference.

“I know you we’ve stayed together and had a lot of good times, I know that we’re still friends, but this week we’re enemies.”

The European players have taken plenty of stick from the home fans, and there is generally a much rowdier atmosphere at these events than those seen at many other snooker or pool tournaments.

It adds another layer to an already difficult tournament for the visiting team, and the USA fans will hope they can help their nation claim the cup as they did last time the tournament was held in Las Vegas in 2019.

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