Yorkshire duo lead England to Euro gold

Willstrop, from Leeds, overcame Thierry Lincou 7-11 11-1 8-11 11-9 11-7 before Sheffield-born Matthew saw off former world No 1 Gregory Gaultier 11-9 11-9 11-6.

That paved the way for Daryl Selby and Peter Barker to wrap up a comfortable 18th successive tournament triumph for England with wins over Mathieu Castagnet and Renan Lavigne.

"I was pleased with that," said Willstrop after his opening win.

"His level seemed to drop after those tough first and third games - I could feel it as soon as we went back on court. I was pretty consistent throughout.

"If you beat Thierry in front of a crowd like that you know you've played well."

In the women's event, Leeds-based Vanessa Atkinson led the Netherlands to a 2-1 victory over France.

Atkinson had defeated Harrogate's world No 2 Jenny Duncalf on the way to a Dutch victory over England in Friday's semi-final and repeated her form over French No 1 Camille Serme in Saturday's final.

"That sort of match, playing for your country, was more nerve-wracking than my World Open final," said Atkinson.

RESULTS

Men's Final

(1) ENGLAND bt (2) FRANCE 4-0

James Willstrop bt Thierry Lincou 7-11, 11-1, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7 (82m)

Nick Matthew bt Gregory Gaultier 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 (53m)

Daryl Selby bt Mathieu Castagnet 12-10, 11-7, 11-1 (35m)

Peter Barker bt Renan Lavigne 11-6, 11-5 (17m)

Women's final

(2) NETHERLANDS bt (3) FRANCE 2-1

Vanessa Atkinson bt Camille Serme 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 (39m)

Annelize Naude lost to Isabelle Stoehr 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 8-11, 8-11 (65m)

Orla Noom bt Maud Duplomb 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (22m)