Lely appointed Europe captain
DUTCHMAN Alex Lely has been appointed as the captain of the European team for this year's PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup.
Lely, 34, of The Hague, assumes the role reactivated in recent years by countryman Johan Ruijsink, who lead Europe to a drawn match in 2006 and then a superb victory last year in Las Vegas.
Lely, who has wound down his playing career in recent times as he seeks to establish himself as a coach, has played twice in the prestigious team event and cannot wait to be involved as captain.
"This means a lot to me as I now have the chance to win the Mosconi Cup, which I never did as a player," said Lely. "It will be an honour to work with this group of players and I will have to earn their respect as a coach.
"Of
course it will be difficult - the Americans have won so many times but the tide is beginning to turn. The Europeans, as individuals, have won so many titles recently and when World Champions are left out it shows the strength of the team.
"I'm
confident and looking forward to the job ahead. The Mosconi Cup is all about heart and I think we have that."
The talented European team consisting of Ralf Souquet, Mika Immonen, Niels Feijen, Tony Drago and Mark Gray will be aiming to gain back-to-back victories for the first time in the competition's 15-year history.
Screened live in the UK and Ireland on Sky Sports, the PartyCasino.com Mosconi Cup takes place at the Hilton Hotel, Portomaso, St Julians, Malta from December 11 to 14.
Lely has been involved in the event twice before as he was a
member of the unsuccessful European team in 1999 at the York Hall in London and then in 2005 in at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
As a player, Lely has three Euro Tour wins to his credit as well as four gold medals at the European Championships - two team and two individual.
However, the highlight of his career may well be his run to victory at the 1999 World Pool Masters where he beat Francisco Bustamante, Tommy Donlon and Kunihiko Takahashi, before disposing of Efren Reyes in the championship match.
USA have dominated the history of the competition with 10 victories compared to three from Europe, while the 2006 version ended as a draw. However, America have not won it outright since 2005 and their side consisting of Johnny Archer, Shane Van Boening, Rodney Morris, Earl Strickland and Jeremy Jones will be aiming to end that run.
The official sponsors of the 2008 Mosconi Cup are PartyCasino.com, Brunswick Tables, Simonis Cloth, Super Aramith Pro Balls and Predator Cues.
A range of superb value hotel and ticket packages are available from the Official Mosconi Cup Travel Agents
www.alleventsmalta.com
For tickets only please go to
www.maltacup.org
