The 13th edition of the Europétanque concluded this Monday evening with a one-sided final won by Philippe Quintais’s triplet. In the final, the 2013 French champions defeated the young team led by Étienne Lacroix with a score of 13-2.
At the start on Saturday morning, there were 512 triplets dreaming of the prestigious Europétanque trophy. Only two managed to tread the Acropolis’s centerpiece last night.
In the early afternoon, the Dubois-Benetto-Lacroix triplet had the upper hand against the Spanish triplet, securing a place in the final with a tight score of 13 to 11. The other semi-final saw the qualification of the tournament favorites, Quintais-Suchaud-Lucien. They left no chance to the Corsican triplet formed by Murracioli-Mangiantini-Dath, winning 13-3.
Despite uncertain weather and rather cool temperatures, nearly 1,500 spectators took to the stands to cheer on the best French teams present in the final. A truly knowledgeable audience in Nice didn’t hesitate to support either Philippe Quintais’s white-clad triplet or Étienne Lacroix’s red-clad triplet.
Under the eyes of regulars like footballers Eric Bauthéac and Alexy Bosetti, the Dubois-Benetto-Lacroix triplet had a better start. They led 2-0 after two ends. But thanks to devilish precision, Quintais-Suchaud-Lucien took back the lead and never let go, advancing to 3-2, then 7-2, 12-2, and ultimately securing a final victory of 13-2. Once in motion, the 2013 French champions quickly wrapped up the match. “Apart from a complicated Round of 16, we played really well during this tournament. Playing at the level we did tonight makes the game easier,” analyzed Philippe Quintais, winner of the 2014 Europétanque and finalist in the precision shooting.
As for the finalists, they regretted not offering more resistance. At this level, small mistakes have big consequences and they learned this the hard way. “Despite everything, we’re happy to have reached the final. Tonight we played against great champions,” confided Étienne Lacroix after this Europétanque final. After 3 days of competition, more than 3,000 players from 17 nationalities pack up their balls and jacks. There is no doubt they’ll return next year for a 14th edition already confirmed following the notable success of this year.
