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Mosconi Cup

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Logo of the Mosconi Cup

TheMosconi Cupis an annualnine-ballpooltournament contested since1994between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool playerWillie Mosconi,the event is comparable to theRyder Cupingolfand theWeber Cupinbowling.

Team composition and formats have varied over the years. Currently,[as of?]each team has five playing members. Each team also has a captain and vice captain, who may be among the players, or may be non-playing additional members of the team. The teams compete over one team match, several doubles matches and singles matches, with the first team to win 11 matches claiming victory.

On 9 December 2023,Team Europebeat Team USA 11–3, kept the title and took an overall series lead of 16–13, with one tie.

History and player selection[edit]

First staged in 1994 bySky SportsandMatchroom Sportas anexhibition eventto increase public awareness of pool in theUnited Kingdom,the Mosconi Cup was named to commemorate the legacy of American pool playerWillie Mosconi,who died in 1993.

In the first year of competition, each team featured six men and two women, with Germany'sFranziska Starkand England'sAllison Fisheron Team Europe, andJeanette LeeandVivian Villarrealon Team USA. No women appeared after the initial event, althoughKelly Fisherin 2021 called on organizers to reinstate female players.[1]In the event's early years, professionalsnookerplayersRonnie O'Sullivan,Jimmy White,Alex Higgins,andSteve Davisall competed on Team Europe.

Staged in England for its first nine years, the Mosconi Cup from2003to2020alternated annually between the US and Europe, with all US-based tournaments taking place inLas Vegas, Nevadaand most European tournaments taking place in England. The Mosconi Cups of2004and2006were held in theNetherlandsand the2008event was held inMalta.In 2020 and2021,two consecutive Mosconi Cups were held in England.

As time progressed, the event evolved from its exhibition nature into a much more serious and professional tournament. Among the snooker players, only Davis continued into the event's more serious era, competing in the first eleven Mosconi Cups and bowing out only when the event began to clash with snooker'sUK Championship,at which he appeared as both a player and aBBCcommentator. After Davis's withdrawal, all players had to earn an invitation through their performances at other pool events, meaning that no more snooker players appeared until 2007 whenTony Dragoearned a place by virtue of his performance on theEuropean Pool Tour.

Team USA initially dominated the tournament, winning 10 of the first 12 tournaments between 1994 and 2005, including 6 consecutive victories from 1996 to 2001. The 2006 tournament was a tie. Since then, Team Europe has dominated the tournament, winning 14 of the 17 events staged between 2007 and 2023, including 8 consecutive victories from 2010 to 2017. The overall series record now stands at 16–13 to Team Europe.

Joshua FillerofGermanybecame the youngest player to participate in the Mosconi Cup at 20 years old, in 2017.Earl Stricklandof the United States became the oldest player to participate in the Mosconi Cup at 61 years old, in 2022.[2]

The record for the most Mosconi Cup appearances is 17, held jointly by Germany'sRalf Souquetand the USA'sJohnny Archer.The record for the most Mosconi Cup wins is 9, held jointly by USA'sJohnny Archerand the USA'sEarl Strickland.

Player appearances[edit]

The players to have appeared in the Mosconi Cup:[3]

Legend P = playing team member NP = non-playing member

Player wins[edit]

The players to have been on a winning team in the Mosconi Cup:[3]

Legend W = winning team member WNP = winning non-playing member

Player representation[edit]

European nations[edit]

Players from sixteen nations have represented Europe. Sorted by number of different people, (number of appearances), and alphabetically, these are:

Number of players by country
15 (44)England 6 (38)Germany 4 (23)Netherlands 2 (12)Sweden
2 (4)Greece 1 (15)Finland 1 (6)Scotland 1 (5)Austria
1 (4)Albania 2 (7)Spain 1 (2)Malta 1 (1)France
1 (1)Ireland 1 (1)Italy 1 (1)Northern Ireland 2 (2)Russia

American states[edit]

Players from twenty-two states have represented the United States (Charlie Williams and Johan Ruijsink were both born outside of the US). Ordered as above, these are:

Number of players by state
4 (28)California 4 (16)Texas 4 (8)Illinois 3 (18)North Carolina
3 (14)Kentucky 3 (8)New York 3 (7)Pennsylvania 2 (6)Ohio
2 (2)New Jersey 1 (17)Georgia 1 (16)South Dakota 1 (5)Missouri
2 (5)Oklahoma 1 (4)Maine 1 (4)Wisconsin 1 (2)Michigan
1 (2)Mississippi 1 (2)Tennessee 1 (1)Florida 1 (1)Kansas
1 (1)Maryland 1 (1)Virginia

Tournament modifications[edit]

There have been rule changes and format changes throughout the tournament's history. These include, but are not limited to: "Non-playing captain" roles were introduced inthe 2003 event;however these were removed in the2004 tournament.In 2004 the doubles matches were re-formatted to bescotch doubles.In 2005, a 30-secondshot clockwas introduced, and caused controversy due to timing malfunctions. The 2006 tournament started with a team-versus-team match followed by two trebles matches. That year also saw the reintroduction of the non-playing captain role.

The 2009 tournament included several new features:[5]

  • No pairing in the doubles matches could be repeated.
  • The event included four blocks of consecutive matches, organized so that five slots were available for each side, in which every player was required to play exactly once.
  • In two singles matches, each player was selected by the opposing team captain.

Results by year[edit]

Year Venue Winners Score Losers MVP Ref
1994 Romford,London,England USA 16–12 Europe – [6]
1995 Basildon,Essex,England Europe 16–15 USA – [7]
1996 Dagenham,London,England USA 15–13 Europe – [8]
1997 Bethnal Green,London,England USA 13–8 Europe – [9]
1998 Bethnal Green,London,England USA 13–9 Europe – [10]
1999 Bethnal Green,London,England USA 12–7 Europe – [11]
2000 Bethnal Green,London,England USA 12–9 Europe – [12]
2001 Bethnal Green,London,England USA 12–1 Europe – [13]
2002 Bethnal Green,London,England Europe 12–9 USA – [14]
2003 Las Vegas,Nevada,United States USA 11–9 Europe FinlandMika Immonen [15][16]
2004 Egmond aan Zee,Netherlands USA 12–9 Europe United StatesRodney Morris [17][18]
2005 Las Vegas,Nevada,United States USA 11–6 Europe United StatesEarl Strickland [19][20]
2006 Rotterdam,Netherlands Tied 12–12 Tied United StatesCorey Deuel [21]
2007 Las Vegas,Nevada,United States Europe 11–8 USA MaltaTony Drago [22][23]
2008 St. Julian's,Malta Europe 11–5 USA FinlandMika Immonen [24][25]
2009 Las Vegas,Nevada,United States USA 11–7 Europe United StatesDennis Hatch [26][27]
2010 Bethnal Green,London,England Europe 11–8 USA EnglandDarren Appleton [28]
2011 Las Vegas,Nevada,United States Europe 11–7 USA NetherlandsNiels Feijen [29][30]
2012 Bethnal Green,London,England Europe 11–9 USA EnglandChris Melling [31][32]
2013 Las Vegas,Nevada,United States Europe 11–2 USA NetherlandsNiels Feijen [33][34]
2014 Tower Circus,Blackpool,England Europe 11–5 USA NetherlandsNiels Feijen [35][36]
2015 Las Vegas,Nevada,United States Europe 11–7 USA NetherlandsNiels Feijen [37]
2016 Alexandra Palace,London,England Europe 11–3 USA AustriaAlbin Ouschan [38]
2017 Las Vegas,Nevada,United States Europe 11–4 USA GermanyJoshua Filler [39]
2018 Alexandra Palace,London,England USA 11–9 Europe United StatesSkyler Woodward [40]
2019 Las Vegas,Nevada,United States USA 11–8 Europe United StatesSkyler Woodward [41]
2020 Ricoh Arena,Coventry,England Europe 11–3 USA ScotlandJayson Shaw [42]
2021 Alexandra Palace,London,England Europe 11–6 USA ScotlandJayson Shaw [43]
2022 Las Vegas,Nevada,United States Europe 11–7 USA GermanyJoshua Filler
2023 Alexandra Palace,London,England Europe 11–3 USA GermanyJoshua Filler

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Pool star Kelly Fisher wants women to compete at the Mosconi Cup again".Sky Sports.Retrieved11 June2021.
  2. ^"Mosconi Cup: Earl Strickland out of annual 9-ball pool event due to possible exposure to COVID-19".Sky Sports.Retrieved8 December2021.
  3. ^ab"Tournament History".Matchroom Pool. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2011.Retrieved8 December2012.
  4. ^ab"Paul Gerni".Official website. Archived fromthe originalon 29 December 2010.Retrieved15 January2013.
  5. ^"Mosconi Cup Event Information: Format".Matchroom Pool. 2 December 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 12 December 2009.Retrieved7 December2009.
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  7. ^"Europe 16–15 USA".Mosconi Cup. 2 December 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2012.Retrieved21 December2010.
  8. ^"Europe 13–15 USA".Mosconi Cup. 2 December 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2012.Retrieved22 December2010.
  9. ^"Europe 8–13 USA".Mosconi Cup. 2 December 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2012.Retrieved22 December2010.
  10. ^"Europe 9–13 USA".Mosconi Cup. 2 December 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2012.Retrieved22 December2010.
  11. ^"Europe 7–12 USA".Mosconi Cup. 2 December 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2012.Retrieved22 December2010.
  12. ^"Europe 9–12 USA".Mosconi Cup. 2 December 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 23 March 2012.Retrieved22 December2010.
  13. ^"Europe 1–12 USA".Mosconi Cup. 2 December 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 11 March 2012.Retrieved22 December2010.
  14. ^"Europe 12–9 USA".Mosconi Cup. 2 December 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 11 March 2012.Retrieved22 December2010.
  15. ^"Results".Mosconi Cup. Archived fromthe originalon 31 March 2012.Retrieved8 December2012.
  16. ^"U.S. Surge, Regain Mosconi Cup".Billiards Digest. Archived fromthe originalon 16 October 2011.Retrieved24 December2011.
  17. ^"Europe 9–12 USA".Mosconi Cup 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2011.Retrieved22 December2010.
  18. ^"I'm So Proud Of The Guys".Mosconi Cup 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2007.Retrieved24 December2011.
  19. ^"Europe 6–11 USA".Mosconi Cup 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2007.Retrieved22 December2010.
  20. ^"Archer: We Showed Our Heart".Mosconi Cup 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2007.Retrieved24 December2011.
  21. ^"Europe 12–12 USA".Matchroom Pool. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2011.Retrieved21 December2010.
  22. ^"Europe 8–11 USA".Matchroom Pool. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2011.Retrieved21 December2010.
  23. ^"Delight for MVP Drago and Europe".mosconicup.com.Matchroom Sport.Archived fromthe originalon 25 April 2012.Retrieved15 November2011.
  24. ^"Europe 11–5 USA".Matchroom Pool. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2011.Retrieved21 December2010.
  25. ^"Mika: Victory banishes ghosts of 06".Archived fromthe originalon 26 June 2009.Retrieved5 July2009.
  26. ^"Europe 7–11 USA".Mosconi Cup. 13 December 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2011.Retrieved10 December2009.
  27. ^"USA describe their pride at regaining Mosconi Cup".Matchroom Pool. 14 November 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2010.Retrieved24 December2011.
  28. ^"Europe win the 2010 Mosconi Cup".Matchroom Sport. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2011.Retrieved21 December2010.
  29. ^"Feijen brings it home for Europe".Inside Pool. Archived fromthe originalon 18 October 2012.Retrieved11 December2011.
  30. ^"Europe hit the jackpot in Las Vegas".matchroompool.com.Matchroom Sport.Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2014.Retrieved9 December2012.
  31. ^"Mosconi Cup moves to a midweek slot".Matchroom Sport. Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2014.Retrieved8 December2012.
  32. ^"Europe retain Mosconi Cup".Matchroom Sport. Archived fromthe originalon 18 February 2013.Retrieved14 December2012.
  33. ^"Mirage named as 2013 venue".Kozoom.com. Archived fromthe originalon 24 February 2014.Retrieved25 June2013.
  34. ^"Mosconi Cup XX Live Blog".matchroompool.com.Matchroom Sport.4 December 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2014.Retrieved4 December2013.
  35. ^"Blackpool Tower Circus to host 2014 Mosconi Cup".matchroompool.com.Matchroom Sport.15 January 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2014.Retrieved19 February2014.
  36. ^"Mosconi Cup: Europe wrap up victory over USA in Blackpool".Sky Sports.4 December 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 6 December 2014.Retrieved6 December2014.
  37. ^"New Tropicana in Las Vegas to host 2015 Mosconi Cup".Sky Sports.19 March 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 29 March 2015.Retrieved29 March2015.
  38. ^"EUROPE WIN BETFAIR MOSCONI CUP XXIII".Matchroom Pool. 9 December 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 10 December 2016.Retrieved10 December2016.
  39. ^"Europe are partypoker Mosconi Cup XXIV Champions".Matchroom Pool. 7 December 2017.Retrieved15 December2018.
  40. ^"USA are partypoker Mosconi Cup Champions".Matchroom Pool. 8 December 2018.Retrieved15 December2018.
  41. ^"USA are partypoker Mosconi Cup Champions".Matchroom Pool. 29 November 2019.Retrieved23 December2019.
  42. ^"Europe regain partypoker Mosconi Cup".Matchroom Pool. 4 December 2020.Retrieved6 January2021.
  43. ^"Europe Win 2021 Cazoo Mosconi Cup".Matchroom Pool. 10 December 2021.Retrieved27 November2022.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mosconi_Cup&oldid=1226372597"