European Team Championships Decided in Bulgaria

Partnerships from Poland, Belgium and Wales won EBSA European Team Snooker Championship gold at the Perunika Hall in Albena, Bulgaria. 

In the main team event, the Poland 1 outfit of 25-year-old Mateusz Baranowski and 19-year-old Antoni Kowalski produced a brilliant comeback in the final to successfully defend the title they won in Albania in 2022.

The Poles finished top of their group and then defeated Bulgaria 1 4-1 and compatriots Poland 2 4-2 in the knockout rounds to reach the final again. 

There they faced Israel who were being represented by Shachar Ruberg and former professional Eden Sharav. The Israelis looked on course for the title as they claimed four consecutive frames to go 4-1 up and within one of the trophy, but Baranowski and Kowalski went on a four-frame burst themselves, winning a doubles point and then three singles points to retain. 

In the Women’s Championship, the Belgian duo of Wendy Jans and Anja Vandenbussche dropped just one frame throughout the whole tournament.

Jans and Vandenbussche won nine out of nine frames in their group before eliminating Poland 1 3-1 in the semi-finals and then Latvia (Tatjana Vasiljeva and Anna Prysazhnuka) 3-0 in the final. 

The Welsh pairing of Darren Morgan and Philip Williams – who both recently featured at the Crucible Theatre for the World Seniors Snooker Championship – retained the Seniors Championship.

Morgan & Williams comfortably topped their group before dispatching Malta 1 4-2 and England 2 4-1 in the last eight and four, respectively. They then denied England 1 (Wayne Brown and Gary Milne) 5-1 in the final to successfully defend.

It is Morgan’s second gold medal during his stay in Bulgaria having retained the individual seniors title.

The images above are courtesy of the European Billiards and Snooker Association