The Atlantic Challenge Cup got underway Wednesday, July 1 and runs through Saturday (July 4). The competition features the best six junior players (four boys and two girls) from Europe and America to see who will have the bragging rights across the Atlantic. The event is taking place at Patricks Canadian Tavern in Rankweil, Austria. In each Match Session, the winning team earns a point. The contest is a Race to 11 Match Points.
DAY ONE – In the first of three matches (Match #1 through Match #3), the contest was 9 sessions (race to 6) between individual players chosen from the six on each team. Team Europe came out on top with 6 wins to Team America’s 3 wins and earned the first Match Point. Europe 1 – USA 0. Match #2 and #3 on Day One consisted of 9 sessions competed individually between 2 boys and 1 girl chosen from each team in a singles a race to 6. Team USA won the first of the last two matches of the day (6-3) and tied Europe in Match Points 1-1. However Europe won Match #3, the last match of the day 6-3, to end Day One with a one Match Point lead: Europe 2 – USA 1.
DAY TWO – There were five Matches (Match #4 through #8) and 5 Match Points to be earned. Match #4 and #5 would be scotch doubles with a girls pair and a juniors pair, alternate shots. Team Europe won both Matches and went ahead Europe 4 – USA 1. Match #6,#7, and #8 were each three singles matches with 3 selected players from each team going head to head in a race to 6 games. Nick Evans (USA) defeated Patrick Statkiewicz (POL) 6 games to 3 to bring the Match Score to: Europe 4 – USA 2. In Match #7 Maxim Dudanets (RUS) edged out Drake Niepoetter (USA) 6-5 to extend Europe’s lead: Europe 5 – USA 2. In Match #8, the final of the day, April Larson (USA) earned her team a point with a 6-3 win over Marharyta Fefilava (BLR) to keep Team USA in the hunt for the Cup. Europe 5 – USA 3.
More to come… Friday, July 3 (Three Matches) and Saturday, July 4 (Six Matches)
Visit the Atlantic Challenge Cup Website for Player Profiles and Pairing Charts: CLICK HERE
FOLLOW THE ACTION:
Team USA’s Facebook: CLICK HERE
Live Stream of the Action: CLICK HERE
Co-Sponsors include: Iwan Simonis, Aramith, Tweeten, Dynamic Billards, Kamui, Rasson Billiards and J. Pechauer Cues.
Click to Enlarge Co-Sponsor Logos
Organizers of the Atlantic Challenge Cup are the Billiard Congress of America, Billiard Education Foundation, European Pocket Billiard Federation and the International Billiard Promotion Foundation.