LIVE FINAL SESSION EUROPE 15-17 USA - 16/10/2011

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Session five - Sunday, October 16 - 7pm
Baker - Europe 247-248 USA
Osku Palermaa 192-232 Mike Fagan
Paul Moor 203-259 Chris Barnes
Dominic Barrett 251-194 Chris Barnes
Paul Moor 290-236 Bill O'Neill
Osku Palermaa 233-185 Tommy Jones
Mika Koivuniemi 245-216 Mike Fagan
Osku Palermaa 237-248 Chris Barnes

QUOTES: BILL O'NEILL (USA): "It has been everything I expected. I'd heard a lot about the event in the past ten years and was something I always wanted to be part of. It's my first time here and to bowl well and for the team to come away with the win is brilliant.

"I started off slowly on Friday and my performance was bad on Friday but after that I settled down and bowled many good games.

"I never had the feeling that we weren't going to win. When Chris went up at the end I had no doubts that he wasn't going to throw that strike. It made the show interesting which was nice and it will be a really good show on television."

QUOTES: PAUL MOOR (EUROPE): "It's disappointing to pull it back but still lose in the end. We needed six points and had no pressure so just went out and tried to enjoy it and then we were confident we could win as we had the momentum. Chris Barnes had a couple of lucky shots but that's bowling.

"We should never have got into that position and it was all our fault as we should've won some of the matches that we lost. It would've been harder to take if we had lost 17-11 as we're better than that and at least we put up a fight and didn't disgrace ourselves.

"Osku decided (to put in Barnes in match 32) and I let him make the decisions on who he put in and in what order.

"But there was no way we were going to pick Tommy and Mike Fagan had come off a loss but changed his ball near the end and looked good so it was always between Bill and Barnes.

"If Osku had beat Barnes then Bill would have played the other match but to pick one of the four is a difficult choice and they're all capable of getting big scores - there were no weak links so you couldn't guarantee that anyone else wouldn't have bowled well."

QUOTES: CHRIS BARNES (USA): "I thought we showed a lot of heart tonight. Hats off to the Europeans as they were left for dead with four or five games to go and not many teams could've fought back the way they did.

"We had cause for concern near the end but this time we got the fortunate breaks at the end and we took advantage of it.

"We had a couple of rookies in the team and we're just glad it didn't turn into another difficult time.

"Year after year Tommy makes a 300 or a run for it and you can't afford to not have him in your team."

10.14pm: USA WIN THE PARTYPOKER.COM WEBER CUP

10.13pm: Barnes strikes when he needs it.

10.12pm: Palermaa finishes on 237. Barnes can get 260 but needs to strike in the tenth.

10.09pm: Another spare from Palermaa follows in the ninth. USA are closing in on the win.

10.05pm: And that mistake may have come in the eighth frame as he spares. The door is open for the Americans, but they also need perfection.

10.04pm: It is tight and tense and one mistake from Palermaa could prove costly.

9.53pm: Europe are immediately under pressure as Palermaa spares the first, while Barnes strikes the first. However, Barnes spares the second and Europe inch ahead.

9.41pm: Unbelievably, Osku Palermaa picks Chris Barnes ... and Chris Barnes picks Osku Palermaa. The two captains will go head-to-head and Palermaa must win to keep Europe alive.

9.37pm: The two players for the next match is picked by the opposing captains...

9.20pm: Koivuniemi, who has his right hand strapped up after punching a chair in frustration at losing a previous match, starts fantastically with seven strikes in a row. Opponent Mike Fagan misses the chance to win it for USA as he leaves the third frame open. Koivuniemi wins it 245-216.

QUOTES: MIKA KOIVUNIEMI (EUROPE): "My hand is strapped and I'm in pain but I've bowled in more pain before in my life."

8.50pm: Tommy Jones made a 299 in his last singles game but can't repeat that to win the cup for America. European captain Osku Palermaa saves his best performance when it matters most and he forces the competition to go yet one more match. Five strikes in a row from Palermaa help him to a 233-185 victory. Jones' hopes of pushing USA over the line are ended with a run of three spares and two open frames in a five-frame period.

8.30pm: A bizarre start to the Paul Moor versus Bill O'Neill match as O'Neill misses everything and throws it into the gutter. But from then on it is a near-masterclass from Moor as he makes a spare followed by 11 strikes for a fantastic score of 290. Tommy Jones is the next American who has a chance to win it for the Americans.

QUOTES: DOMINIC BARRETT (EUROPE): "They've got to get over the line and it's not going to be easy. We all know how hard it can be getting over the line.

"We're in a bit of a hole and momentum is a funny thing. We had it a couple of days ago, they have got it now but who knows where it's going next."

8.01pm: Late substitute Barrett keeps Europe's hopes alive as he beats Barnes 251-194. Barnes suffers his first singles defeat after an open frame in the second and another one in the sixth frames. The baton is now passed to Bill O'Neill, who is the next American who could win it for his side.

7.45pm: Mika Koivuniemi was due to be in action in the next match but has now been pushed down the order. That means Dominic Barrett is now in action against Chris Barnes.

7.42pm: Some drama here in Barnsley as Mika Koivuniemi has sustained a hand injury and has strapping on two of his fingers.

He says: "In the Baker match against USA after my second bowl I got mad with myself. I walked back and hit a chair quite hard. Sometimes I get mad with myself."

QUOTES - CHRIS BARNES (USA): "That was by far my best singles performance. We knew Paul Moor would be the toughest to play and I thought I might have to play my best game so it was a good time for it.

"When you get on a run like this you feel everything is going to go right for us but when we were on the other side you're looking for things to go wrong. I've now beaten all four of the European guys."

7.26pm: USA, who trailed 6-2 early on Saturday, are now one point away from winning the 2011 PartyPoker.com Weber Cup. They move to within one as Chris Barnes comfortably beats Paul Moor by a scoreline of 259-203. The game turns when Moor spares the fourth and seventh with an open frame in the sixth. Barnes will be back out in the next match and has a chance of winning the cup for the Americans.

QUOTES: MIKE FAGAN (USA): "It's a big relief for me and the pressure had been mounting as I kept losing doubles and singles matches but it feels really good to get the monkey off my back.

"I needed to go back to basics, practice and get going again. I can't be happier with how our team is performing and I'm glad to be able to contribute to that."

6.45pm: The wheels are coming off for Team Europe. Captain Osku Palermaa played Mike Fagan, who had lost all of his previous singles and doubles matches. However, Fagan claimed the victory by 232-192. Fagan started with four straight strikes while Palermaa trailed throughout after a 2/8 split in the second frame. The pressure looks to be getting to Palermaa as once he knows he has lost throws a ball into the gutter, when faced with ten pins.

QUOTES: CHRIS BARNES (USA): "Winning is a good habit to get into. There are a lot of good bowlers on both teams but only one that is the best closer and he is on our side."

6.30pm: The first match of the final session is another Baker clash and it is the match of the tournament. Palermaa misses a shot at a single pin in the first frame but a succession of strikes pull Europe back into it. However, Tommy Jones cranks up the pressure with three strikes in the 10th frame. Koivuniemi strikes the first in his tenth frame and needs nine spare to force a play-off. But he only knocks down eight and USA win it by a point.