Lord only knows where Eurosport will start this, since the on-air time is a half hour later than previously this week...I'm hoping for Group Two onwards, but I'm not hopeful....and Cris in the studio is waffling on already about the lack of Plushy....one slip for Yags will open the door...he teases Joanne a little more about her distaste for Yags....who she is now going for...little possibility that Abt will get gold if he slips...and we now hear what will no doubt be the first of many ads for the Henman/Rusedski tennis match on Eurosport tomorrow at nine, as I ponder the possibility of phoning in sick....and we are now treated to the unreal sight of Joanne lauding the OD performance of Annisina and Peizerat....except it's Chait and Sakhanovsky skating. This is incredible....and no content to make the mistake once, they go on and on about how they were second last year, how they're Joanne's favourite and how they went straight into the lead with this routine...and my mind is so boggled I actually go downstairs and make my sister look at them just to make sure that I"m not seeing things and she tells me that no, my contact lenses are not failing me, it is C&S

Middle of group two....

Gheorge Chiper ....or is it??? <g> ROM

In 15th place and it is Gheorge....black shirt, grey trousers, black piping on the side...sdtk of Leon....he's 23 I'm told...he starts at centre ice...as Chris lauds the atmosphere....steps all aroudn teh ice, building up the speed....df on the quad toe....not all the way around either....but not a bad attempt....hand down on the triple axel, does double toe and lands forwards....and he's down on the flip....camel spin....more steps...incl back spiral...this is the breathing point...and he's down on the triple axel no 2...off axis all the awy...flying sit which is nice and fast...3ax both in the same place on the ice....crwod claps....serpentine steps....triple sal....back sit to upright with dodgy looking change but I think it was meant to be like that....more steps.....steps out of the loop and didn't get all the way around....steps into the 3lutz, nicely done...steps....interesting choreography...and he gets teh toe all wrong ,double...camel to fllying sit.. to scratch spin and he's done. Long four and a half minutes chris says....first attempt at quad this evening....that change on the camel to sit spin as as dodgy as I thought....

marks 4.2-4.8....4.5-4.9...he's in third.

Vakhtang Murvanidze GEO

Yay! Whiteshirt, black trousers,black suspenders....the Godfather....spirally thing to start..nice extension on that....in 18th...and he pops the axel to a single....triple flip...shouldve been combo....camel cahnge camel....good position....straight line steps and just watch him sell....except its not and he doesnt he does triple toe triple toe instead...spiral steps with besti squats leaning back...nice spreadeagle too...double the loop....flying cmael he stops looks up....slow part nice steps...down the ice we go...and step out of the triple axel,couldn't stop the rotation....lutz triple clean.....and around for the lopp and that's clean too....this is the straight line step...in time with the music, nice positions....seen him sell more though....and he's down hard on the flip...and he literally stopped dead after that.....besti squat leaning back again....triple sal....camel to sit changecamel.....upright and he's done as chris tells us that he was running on empty at the end and that that's when your training pays dividends....Chris remembers Philippe....we see that he does in fact have an untied dicky bow on the collar, wasn't sure about that....nicky re-emphasises the importance of keeping your eyeline up....good position on spins he notes....solid as a rock on the lutz...

marks can I just remark that he's growing up well? Not that he's a Marcus or anything, or a Rene, but not bad. 4.7-5.2....4.7-5.0...he's second overall first on the free.

Kevin Van Der Perren BEL

Black with silver sparkles on the sides...think the tinfoil of Abt..if he makes it to 12th, he's 13th, he's going to SLC....also vs on the front and back and he's down on the axel and he flew into it, looked really determined and he's flying!...lutztriple and triple toe...triple loop...out of nowhere.! and he stops...awves the arms a little....does a few steppy things in front of the judges...he's saying look at my tinfoil...want a turkey sandwich??? ..triple sal triple toe.....he can do three triples in a row you know....glying camel.....nice position...point of free leg....triple flip....circular step....nice changes of edge and position....flyinf sit which was hiuge.....and he's keeping going!....into a layback which is not viktoresque it must be siad...music changes....slow...more admiration of tinfoil from the judges....serpentine steps...also incl besti squat....spiral with bent leg...lutz...and hand down...nearly too long setting it up....double axel, playing it safe tehre....into camel to sit layback....change sit.....vairation on position....and he's done....and he looks happy! He'll take that says Chris, who cannot believe that transformation of this 18 year old who up to a few months ago wwas working on a construction site....great tech says Nicky....axel, just coujldn't hold the landing...alsmot there....the triple combos looked easy for him as CHris admires his kneebend...makes them look easy....not fond of his layback am I....

marks 5.0-5.3....he's happy! 4.9-5.3..2 2nds, the rest first and first overall.

Final skater in this group the little 15 year old

Tomas Verner CZE

in 17th, in dark blue trousers and light blue tshirt, one man's dream by yanni...one woman's dream is that he'll get a decent costume soon....I know he's 15. so shouldn't his mammy know better than to let him out of the hosue like that? anyway, he's building speed...and flies into a triple lutz double toe...axel triple ! the girlies scream....triple flip...flying camel.....goes to the edge of the boards for the straight line step....not as fast as VDP....camel...to sit....change camel....out of that, as the music changes....and he leans forwards and back while skating soulfullly across the ice....lots of sprials and foot grabbing....leaning on the loop and down he goes...weight too muhc outside the circle...triple sal....sit spin....nice and centred, change sit....music speeds again....crowd get behind him...triple toe....steps....with little leaps and turns and lunges....single axel, big pop there...death drop to end, and he looks thrilled! Good tech Chris tells us, very quick rotation ,and for his first Euros, he done good! Another name to look out for in the future we're told....nicky tells us that he doesn't seem phased by this at all, that nothing seems hard for him to do...fear factor not fully developed!

marks he smiles to camera and wipes his brow phew style... 4.9-5.4...and that's a happy boy right there! 4.6-5.1...and he's second on the night and overall.

Break for ice resurface and I go to see if Joanne will eat humble pie...

And bonus! Thanks to the miracles of tape, we see the brit

Matthew Davies

she walked through the fair....lord of the dance...grey shirt white sleeves. black trosuers....down on the 3ax, not all the way around....steps all around the houses....down on the lutz...no comments from C&N since this is recorded....camel spin with change of pos to harding spin....triple flip was clean....nice stpes with s/e...and lovely lackback there....this is a nice slow piece...triple loop which he came out of very near the boards....great flow along the ice...ina bauer....spreadeagle....this is nice....triple toe triple toe the seoncd of which he goes down on....flying sit....to layback...into lotd....triple flip...and he's skating throught this music now a litte....triple sal....nice steps...that 's more like it...camel spin...tracel....layback to sit to cross foot spins to scratch spin an dhe's done..

and cris tells us that they were in fact watching A&P, but that we were watching C&S....question, were A&P doing Moulin Rouge as well? Because if they're not, then he's lying through his pearly whites.

And we're back with group three....

Ivan Dinev BUL

Oh god....black trousers...and his shirt is an african tribal mask in green red and yellow....and it's eeeee! music is fast to start from bulgarian musical....and he lands the quad! not a great landing but ti's there....he dances on the ice....he'd want to be careful unless he wants it to rain indoors....flies in triple axel triple toe...flying sit....hes on firesays chris...so maybe he does want rain...landing a little forwards on lutz but it's there....camel great position...to sit....to uprighty thing...music changes...slow part ....there are tassles off the top, did I mention? And armbands, and knee hight boots....slow steps, plenty of posing to the judges....axeltriple on its own...so secure....glidy move that was a besti squat, and there's anotehr one...can I say i hate that move...back spiral...something that might be an ina bauer given time...triple flip....loop...and that's claen too....,music speed again avec clapping....and he handjives a little and bangs the knees and begin the straight linestep, with much lunging ....music is working for him and nicky....flyinf camel....nice position on that...to sit....and he dances on the spot...michael flatley wehre are you son? steps to a pop on the flip...a big single....sal with a hand just down...camel hop to sit... butterly to little sit and he's donw. Crowd roar, andnicky tells us that his expression at the end said it all .A gutsy skate says Chris...paced himself ,but total commitment from the word go...had to work hard to get that leg around on the quad, but did it....axels were good....coach cam is great....

marks and he covers up the shirt....5.4-5.6...5.0-5.6...a row of ones

Dmitri Dmitrenko UKR

And he's in black. Whit silver sparkles. Many of them. More tin foil. Was there a sale? Or just lots of turkey cooked backstage? Classical something or other....triple toe....not the same speed....triple axel double toe....soundtrack of meet joe blakc...not much between the jumps....lutz df and leaning horribly....camel and out of that down the ice...nice interp of music in palces, picking out the nuances....doubles the flip and outs a turn after it....steps....down the length of theice....ina bauerish moves....triple loop but overrotated, had to get a turn in...flying sit....music slows....stpes on centre ice....singles the axel....triple sal....double footed on the flip again....spin.....spreadeagle right on the music....triple axel double toe! right at the end! camel to layback and that was nice....change sit to upright and he's done..........that axel toe at the end was something else, and he threw it in! But he needed it....he's not even puffing now, and I've got to say, that left me cold. I've seen him better. nicky says the music worked part of the time but doens't fit his style he thinks...and once again, I agree. as does Chris.

marks 4.8-5.1...5.1-5.4...seocnd overall. he's dropped a place.

Sergei Davydov BLR

22 yrs old....mask of zorro...green green little jacket, blakc shirt and pants and sparkley cumberband.......starts ewith famous clappy music....axel..triple and he had to put a turn on after the trople toe....lutz triple.....justabout!...he's flying around too...all off axis on the flip...just had to turn out of it....flyinf camel....great speed from him so far...and ehs down on the axel, after a df landing.....winds up the loop too much and doubles it...does it again...same result....camel...to sit...to layback...cahge camel to sit....and up....triple sal....layback....straight lines teps....to that slow clappy musci that eveyone knows...much dancing on the spot, and the crowd get inot it, clapping along....triple flip double toe....flying sit.....great speed! circular step....kneels on ice and slides around and finishes sliding on one knee with "sword" thrust out...relaly fought chris tells us...he's in 8th place, in front of Dinev...nicky hates the jacket, and oh, so do I. His issue is that it's not tight to his body and thus affectsthe lines. There is that, and the colour is particularly vile, a bilious shade of green....and he does his flip as a lutz (so it's not a flutz, it's a lip, is that what most people call it??? )

marks...as chris tells us all that's he's won this year, incl nebelhorn...5.0-5.3...5.1-5.4...and a row of twos.

Stefan Lindemann GER

Larry! In a deep blue shirt oh so bright...in 12th place, needs 8th...black trousers...come on Larry! littles teps to start....plenty of eye conteact with the judges....hand down on trople axel, great height....shouldve been combo too....and down on the qwuad! nearly there., good effort....triple flip...into a sal...down ot the boards....striaght line step...good change of freeet and edge and position...and end to end too! into sit, really fast change sit.....stops on music as slow part commences....back spiral...besti squat...good edges and spreadeagle...great flow across the ice...very smooth...hand down on the axel again!....and he nearly say down too....loop, just kept foot off scraembled landing around for the 2toe at the end...spins, sit and hop to change sit....steps triple lutz....music changes again....he speeds up....triple sal....flyinf camel.....and out of that and around we go....nice steps again...and he throw a triple toe before the flying sit at the end, slight touch down on the toe,and he's finished! Spirited effort says chris, amazing comeback he says. Nicky says you get teh sense that he's not completely back but that he pushed rigth to the end and he never stopped trying which is true. he kept on going kept on fighting....slipped on takeoff of second axel...coach cam on that is great, we see her holding her breath then looking to heaven and uttering some probably not nice things..music was pearl harbour and i nthe middle section,s reflections of earth

marks and he smiles for the birdie! 4.9-5.3....4.8-5.4...4th place. His alloted spot.

Gabriel Monnier FRA

Dracula...so he's all in black with gloves...and seriously electric hair...that doesn't look like it's been brushed today. wind howls on the soundtrack so maybe that's why....and he pops the lutz to a dboule....triple axel..rock solid. nice inbetween element.....flying ist.....and around to axel that he got all wrong and only a double...weight out of the circle...great interp of music....down the ice for triple flip...sit spin with arms behind back change sit....back glide....into spiralish thing keeping leg low though.....great edge control....triple axel double toe ....down on the loop, step out....camel to sit change sit....steps on the diagonal....and around we go....triple sal...and in to trple toe...flying sit....to upright spin....and gliding around....in tight circle.....and he mimes the butterfly..a.nd crouches on teh ice nad he's done. Different from start to finish says Chris, but we've come to expect that from the french team. movements were really intersetnig....tech could've been better there were a few mistake,but he kept you interested all the way thorough....so much changing of edges and great edgework there....really a throwback to the "old days" if you know what I mean....

marks 5.1-5.4....4.8-5.4...he's third.

Frederic Dambier FRA

Nice cream shirt, holey glove on his left hand, no fingers in it...black toursers...starts with one hand on the ice, in a elevated lying position.....samson and delilah...axel triple and triple toe....not speed going in but got there...inside s/e going around there, v. nice.....quad sal! oh yes!. and he stops, raises hands to heaven...music speeds, does sit changes it which travels more than a little....axel...leaning all over hte place but triple! diagonal of the ice dwon and into a triple flip....circular step....triple sal, into flinyg sit.....and he stops music changes to slow part so he can get this breath back! and so can we! lutz triple and then camel spin to upright and out of that...builds up speed for ina baruer and spredeagles which are lovely...ina not with back arched though, strraight back...more spreads...doubles loop.....o/s s/e....triple toe....camel spin.....travel...cahnge sit....and stop....lunge and slide and stand and llunge and knee and punch the air to finish! Annick at the side is thrilled, he's thrilled and the French crowd are stnading. And there was someone who did a Rosemary every time he landed a jump! that was great....the quad sal was a breauty.....not sure what the glove was about though.....and that reaction atthe end was priceless!

marks...5.4-5.6...5.4-5.7....he's in the lead and he can't believe it ....

warm up for group 4

Ilia Klimkin RUS

In a jester outfit....petrushka....red and orange andgreen...and the rooster crows to wake me up...down on the quad toe which was huge...hand down...no prep for it....and oiut of triple axel, didd 2toe....camel...change cmael....hop to camel again ...and upright....arms wavingall over the place....and he covers his head...it's not that bad, still early! triple toe....camel to camel, done in both direction...and triple sal off the end! jokey movemtns....really interpreting the music....upright spin....he looks like a maypole when he does that....gets the lutz all wrong, doubles it...out of balance...steps around...best squat leaning back...cantilever spread its called...and into triple loop....more slittle steps....keeps the theme going all the way along...triple flip and he doules it....flying camel....and he's down on the flip....made three turns couldn't control the landingg...crowds are clappiong..split jump...camel to sit change cmael to site to shotgun spin...and claps and mugging the judges and he's done/ And he's not happy, at all. Nicky tlaks about how hard it is to come here with so little notice...the spins int othe triple sal was great.

marks 4.8-5.1....5.3-5.6...8 3rd and one 10th! he's first overall third onthe night

Alexei Yagudin RUS

Blakc costume, gold mask painted on it....and Nora must be dying right now! Gloves are on....he does the hands around the face thing.....and the miming thing...nicky calls the costume brilliant....quad oh and down ! hands down and he was leaning in the air! and got that one! little low on the landing but it counts! love this musci.....leaning on axel, half loop, triple sal...flying spin.....stop, look heavenward....miming little thing...turns with the arm over the head....trple axel triple toe.....I"m shouting good boy at the screen what's happening to me???? triple lutz....out of steps...loop and a double....music speeds..... swords fight...look at those little sterps! this footwork is something else....triple flip....blows a kiss....now that's one way to bribe the judges....sit change sit to legup int the air spin...spread eagle....double loop again....to the end of the baords...straight line step....mimes the swoard again....and the feet and the knee slides...and you can imagine this in america......camel spin to sit change sit...to holding the blade sit...and slide and he'sdone! Didn't seem like four and a half minutes...and taht wasgreat! tarasova choreographed it....oh that was something else...not as perfect as the short and I can't wait tosee it clean....loved it....leaning allover on teh first quad....didn't let it stop him though...went right down the rink and did another....chris says its nearly as entertaining watching Tatiana! We see the axel toe from over head...the length on it...chris thinks the half loop after the first axel was thrown in as an overrotation...I'm sure it was!

marks 5.7(6) the rest 5.8....5.8(2) the rest 5.9. he's in first.

Brian Joubert FRA

only 17...I liked this guy on the short...black tunic and trouseres. white shirt....think Todd style...the Mission....and more silver spangles in a v on his back...and df the quad, over rotated...and down a little on it....steps on the ice....and around we go...keeping wit hte music though....triple axel, not much height but boy was it fast...sit spin....the speed.... triple flip with turn after it....again no real height....slow part....triple axel double toe and long pause between the axel and toe....sit change sit.....ina baruer......spirals...spread eagles...lots of changes of edge and position....stops at the boards....straight line step....not much speed in it...crowd clap...back up and into camel to upright....and out...dances on centre ice...loop...triple, fine....steps in circle and back down the ice...triple lutz, free leg a little slow to get back but kept it off and down on the sal leaning all the way...sit to upright holding the leg, change sit....and he's done. Not quite waht he was looking for says Chris, but what a week he's had! 9th at Skate Canada, second at top jump in Lyon....said that he's here to enjoy himself...it's party time now says nicky! he's done really well... this was probably his weakest performance this week....but still not bad!

marks 5.2-5.5....they think the nerves got to him, lack of freedom lack of attack....5.2-5.7...he's second now. 4th (?) on night

Stephane Lambiel SUI

And the flags wave for the hometown boy...who's in black, with one yellow sleeve, one black with a yellow wirstband...one glove black one yellow..music is Cirque du SOleil....red back with sun on it....fast to sstart...lutztriple lutz triple toe.....steps around...fast turns...he loooks focusesd.....axel...double...he doesn't have a triple does he? he's only 16....triple flip triple toe....camel flying....great speed and centre and he is swiss afterall.....mimes pulling a rope....that was nice....and tightrope, holding umbrella! loop with turns leading into it, and hand holding brolly in and out of it...double axel....inthe corner where he stops and starts his stesp...lots of little turns and interesting edges, and the timing with the music is great...cosutme works too which you mightnt think....lurz....and it wasleaning but he got it....butt spin ish with leg over head...and so many spins on that combo that I can't name them all....serp steps and h's just flying...energy galore....turns into the sal and the crowd are roarign! sit spin so low nad fast and vairation...and change and do it again...and more steps......and stars into flying sit....and I'm smiling so much right now I cna't even tell you! scratch spin and steps and that's done ! And that was so so good!!!! just great! I think that was my favourite of the night...not the technical sure, only up to teriple lutz, but the theme, the choreography, the flow over the ice, his whole attitude....you just didn't want him to stop! and the crowd loved it...he looked like he was having a ball out there! 5th in JJun Worlds last year....and they're still standing!

marks he doesn't know where to look! 5.2-5.4...which is faitr....go up....5.3-5.8....he's in third with 2 to go! and he's thrilled!

Alexander Abt RUS

Who will doubtless take his time after that.....and he's in a greyish blue blouse., no other word for it...black trsouers....Piano Concerto No 2....is that blouse see through....lots of wispy things hanging off it....quad toe double toe....axel tripel and triple toe at the ned...axel could've been df...triple lutz was clean....camel spin nice position....change camel....and out of that....slow part....little turns....nice dflow.....doesn't seem to have much speed....axel long set up which paid off....spread eagle...teiple sal....steps....slidely glide...dlying camel hops into various positions. ending in sit....and he stops and does his straight line...and not....into the flip triple .....steps...triple loop...lungey slide....flying camel....music builds....triple toe? flip? not sure...camel to sit change sit....to scratch...and he's done...and he's thrilled. And that was a toe at the end, and I've got to say, Chris calls it sensational. I know that it had the jumps and all but inbetween, it pretty much left me cold. For me, it iddn't have half the footwork of Yags, nor half the emotion....I kept feeling like it was just about to get going. The quality of the jumps was excellent nicky says, and parts of it wehre it looked like he was skating through the music...sometimes the piano was running away...nicky is SO my boyfriend right about now....confidfence was fantastic chris tells us....and we see Yags clapping him ...that's nice....

marks....5.7-5.9..3 5.9s....5.7-5.9....3 have him first...but he's second and we see Alexei breathe a sigh of relief....crowd aren't happy.

Andrejs Vlascenko GER

And I predict that this won't be all that...he's had half an hour to wait, and he traditionally has trouble holding his nerve...in dark purple top, net slleeves...black touseres...and steps out of axel, does 2toe....over rotated the axel...triple sal triple toe....can't afford anotehr mistake chris tells me.....emotes to the musci....for a second or so....lutz leaning all over it and dobuels it.....and he's down on the flip....not his night says nicky....spread eagle.....nice serp steps here.....flyng camel...hop to sit.....slow part...little turns and bakc wlaking and gliding....jazzy version of summertime this soundslike....leaning on thre triple axel and hadn to step out.....loop...and he gets it....layback....flying sit...as music speeds up....step sequence which is really fast and welldone....triple sal....and around into arabian...camel to sit layback..change sit....and scratch spin and hes' done. And C&N are blaming the draw for that performance and I cna't say as I disagree...I said it to my sister at dinner that htis would happen...he's better skating first or second in the gourp. Last or seocnd last and disaster follows...remember Europeans in 97? He skated last and got ordinals from 1st to 8th, and Urmanov went from 6th on short to 1st? Big huge messy mess? Chris and Nicky are wodnering where they might put him especailly after what else we've seen.....

marks....long wait....5.0-5.4...5.3-5.7...8th overall, ords from 4th to 12th....

So Yags, Abt, Joubert are the one two three I think ...and we go to studio....so I don't see the results.....as Joanne whines about Yags being first and she can't understand how he got a five eight for tech....she calls him lucky....this is the woman who can't tell Chait and Sakhanovsky from Annisina and Peizerat.