The final is under way as Team England try to lift the European team title for the first time since 1984 in Preston as they take on holders and 12-time winners Denmark.

And European mixed doubles champions Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg got the team off to the perfect start with a 21-10 23-21 victory over Denmark Open champions Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen.

The three-time English National champions missed a game point at 20-19 then saved a game point before clinching the vital opening rubber.

Next up Andrew Smith takes on European silver medallist Joachim Persson. The world No 6 beat Smith in straight games in last year's final and has beaten in all their seven meetings. But last time in the Super Series Masters final was a tight three-game affair.

But not this time....Smith takes the first game 21-16 but then missed an easy smash at 7-1 to let Persson pull back up to within a point at 8-7. But Smith pulls away again helped by a good smash to make up for the one he missed only for Persson to edge ahead at 18-16. But Persson allowed himself to be rattled by a close line call and then what he thought was an 'out' call from the England camp.

Next Smith produced an amazing reflex return to swing the match back in his favour and take the second game 21-19 and with it the match for, if not the best win of his career, certainly the most important.

In a wild celebration he threw his shirt into the crowd as Team England moved 2-0 - just one point from victory.

But Denmark weren't finished and World No 1 Tine Rasmussen was in no mood to let Elizabeth Cann spring the same kind of shock Persson suffered.

The defending Yonex All England champion was too strong for the Jersey player, winning 21-14 21-10.

England lead 2-1 with Nathan Robertson, winning his 98th cap, teaming up with Clark to take on Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen.

And hopes of a 3-1 win look good after they fight back to level the contest with a 21-16 second game having lost the opener 21-17. But the Danes hold their nerve in the decider to win 21-15 after 58 minutes to make it 2-2.

Just like the semi-final with Poland it's all down to the women's doubles.

But Kellogg and Jenny Wallwork just can't stop the determined Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Lena Koppen's daughter Marie Roepke and the Danes surge to victory 21-14 21-15.

Yesterday's semi-final last 195 minutes in court time - the longest of the tournament - but tonight, after 189 minutes it was 3-2 to Denmark and the gold medal was theirs for the 13th time from 20 championships and the eighth in a row.

Team England took the silver and Russia and Poland the bronze.

Now England must regroup for the Yonex All England Championships in Birmingham from March 3-8. And top-class badminton will be back in the Northwest in 2010 when the European Individual Event comes to the MEN Arena from April 8-13.