England has regained its winner position this year as the best team at the Professional Invitational Team Match during the Blackpool Dance Festival. Second place went to Italy.

There were four teams: Italy, England, Russia, and America. British team prepared an extraordinary show which caused a huge standing ovation when the audience realised that the dancing couples on the floor were: Sammy and Barbara Stopford, Markus and Karen Hilton, Kenny and Marion Welsh, and Donnie Burns and Gaynor Fairweather.
For Markus and Karen it was the first time on the floor since their retirement! Many younger dancers never had a chance to see these immaculate dancers dancing "live".

After the show, two ballroom and two latin couples nominated from each country had to dance 5 fances from their category and were judged by three judges. In the Ballroom Round it was a tie for first place between Italy and England. Then, the Latin representatives took the floor. It was the category which had been expected to be the best for Russia and America, considering that their teams were exceptionally strong in this category. But as the night's procedings went by, the clear winners had emerged, when England's Paul Richardson and Olga Rodionova as well Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova began their dancing. Bennett and Kopylova wonderfully guaranteed the British Team the victory over Italy, while Richardson and Rodionova polished off what could be considered the most incredible defeat of all, a defeat of both Russian and American teams. Their dancing was perhaps the best I've seen of them. After all the couples had finished dancing, several members of the audience had stood up, to give the dancers a standing ovation. The night was soon finished by the announcement of England's victory, something which was well received by the British audience, as well as the members of the British Team.