The senior free programme at the French Cup synchronized skating competition gets under way at 8pm tonight (7pm GMT) with online coverage from France 3 Haute-Normandie at http://haute-normandie.france3.fr (this link is now dead).

No team managed to oust the top three Finnish teams from their positions, and the senior event ended with Team Unique in first on 215.30, Rockettes second on 208.05 and Marigold Ice Unity third on 206.07. Russia’s Paradise was closest in fourth on 195.63.

UK representative Team Spirit of Wales & West were fourth out to skate, had one fall, and scored a total of 68.34 for 15th place, finishing above Team Temptation from Belgium on 67.57.

The junior free proved exciting, with Canadian team Les Supremes able to break the Finnish stranglehold on the top three positions: last to skate, Les Supremes scored a total of 164.60 to overtake Musketeers (158.57) for third place. Finnish team Fintastic took first on 171.68 and Team Mystique were second on 167.95. Mystique, Musketeers and Fintastic were first, second and third respectively after the short, so the free programme saw significant changes in position. Two falls costs Musketeers dear.

UK team Nottingham Icicles were first out on the ice and skated well to score a total of 94.15. They were overtaken by Swiss team Cool Dreams, who scored a total of 96.28, and Icicles had to settle for 14th place overall, ahead of French teams Jeanne d’Arc and Les Cometes. Black Diam’s of France stretched their slender lead over Icicles to more than four points with a total of 98.49.

It was a tough result. For iowskaters’ money, Icicles looked more coherent and stronger than Cool Dreams, and looked like they skated as well as they did at the British championships, but the Swiss team attempted a level four line, which if called could have made the difference. The score sheets will doubtless make interesting reading.