JOHAN RUIJSINK, the 46 year-old Dutchman, will once again be sitting in the captain's chair for Team Europe when the 2012 PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup gets underway this December at the York Hall in East London.
This will be Ruijsink's fifth Mosconi Cup and he will be looking to maintain his undefeated record at the event. He led the side for the first time in 2006 when a draw halted a run of three successive American wins and then the following year he took an untested team to Las Vegas and upset the odds with a glorious 11-7 victory.
Ruijsink missed the event in '08 and '09 but was back for the tournament's return to the York hall in 2010 when two top teams clashed and Europe prevailed 11-8 winners after four unforgettable days. Then last year, he took the team back to the MGM Grand, Las Vegas where they dispatched the Americans 11-7.
"I am delighted to have the honour of being Mosconi Cup captain again and Europe is not about to give up our dominance," said a confident Ruijsink.
"The overall score (11-6 in favour of America with one drawn match) doesn't favour us yet but we will pursue that goal heavily and every year for the years to come.
"We can only start doing that by winning the next one and there is not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that the European players, their supporters and myself will be ready to send the American team home empty handed.
"We only need to be on the top our game. But hey, it's the Mosconi Cup and every player in Europe desires to play in this event, especially at the York Hall, in front of our own crowd.
"We know we'll be heavily supported and we know these supporters will give the respect to the American team that they deserve, as we will do, but it will be our party.
The PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup takes place from Monday 10th to Thursday 13th December at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, London. Tickets are available exclusively from www.seetickets.com
Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport: luke.riches@matchroom.com
Notes: Matchroom Sport are one of the world's leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,000 hours of original programming across a range of sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the Mosconi Cup is one of a stable of pool events that include the World Cup of Pool and the World Pool Masters.