'This time I was not ready to let the title slip from my grasp'

Alex Borg crowned a fine 2004-05 season on Friday night by winning the European Billiards and Snooker Association major title in Ostrow, Poland.

After coming tops in the Mediterranean Cup, the European Teams Championship and the National Premier League, he went on to beat Iceland's Kristjan Helgason 7-2 to cancel the disappointment of losing two other finals on the continent in 1998 and 2004.

Borg, still mourning the loss of his father the week before, was superb in the opening session after building a 4-0 lead.

"It was important to establish my authority on the game, and I left very few chances for Helgason to take," said Borg after the match.

'Iceman' Helgason, EBSA champion in 1998, tried to make a fight out of it in the evening session in front of a packed auditorium. However, there was no denying the Maltese player who won the three frames he required to seal victory.

Borg said: "I do not think I played exceptionally well in the final, but after I managed to control the match in the morning session and build a 4-0 lead, I was determined not to let this opportunity slip by. The title was in my grasp.

"I have been 'so near and yet so far' on so many occasions throughout my international career... losing in Poland was simply not an option!"

The victory in Poland also meant that Borg, 36, has automatically won the right to compete on the World Snooker Main Tour next season, joining fellow professional Tony Drago.

Frame scores: (Borg first - 7-2) 84-47, 66-37, 81-31, 72-34, 76-0, 14-103, 63-37, 19-57, 62-49.