A record-equalling 27 countries were competing in the 37th men's European Squash Federation championship being staged in the Swedish city for the first time.
England number four Alister Walker - making his international debut in the championships - put England ahead in their 17th consecutive appearance in the men's final by beating Julien Balbo 11-7, 11-7, 14-12. In the eagerly-anticipated top string clash between the two highest-ranked players in the event, world No6 Nick Matthew faced Gregory Gaultier, the in-form Frenchman who 24 hours earlier celebrated a rise to No2 in the world rankings.
But, clearly inspired by the England shirt on his back, the 28-year-old from Sheffield defeated Gaultier 11-9, 8-11, 12-10, 11-5 to give the defending champions a 2/0 lead - and requiring France to win the next two matches by 3/0 margins to ensure victory.
And a long-awaited maiden title win by the second favourites looked on the cards when veteran French campaigner Thierry Lincou, a former world champion and world number one, reduced the deficit by beating England's second string Peter Barker 15-13, 11-6, 11-7.
But, in the tense fourth match that followed, London left-hander Adrian Grant clinched the first game against Frenchman Renan Lavigne 13-11, then secured the second 12-10 to ensure England's indisputable victory.
In the men's play-off ties, Wales beat Netherlands after a games countback to take third place - their best finish since 2006.
Men's Final:
[1] ENGLAND bt [2] FRANCE 3-1
Alister Walker bt Julien Balbo 11-7, 11-7, 14-12
Nick Matthew bt Gregory Gaultier 11-9, 8-11, 12-10, 11-5
Peter Barker lost to Thierry Lincou 13-15, 6-11, 7-11
Adrian Grant bt Renan Lavigne 13-11, 12-10 ret.
Women's Final:
[1] ENGLAND bt [2] NETHERLANDS 3-0
Alison Waters bt Vanessa Atkinson 12-10, 14-12, 11-7 (31m)
Jenny Duncalf bt Natalie Grinham 11-5, 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 11-8 (52m)
Laura Lengthorn-Massaro bt Annelize Naude 12-10, 11-2
Men’s 3rd place play-off:
[5] WALES bt [3] NETHERLANDS 2-2 (Wales win 10-7 on games countback)
Rob Sutherland bt Dylan Bennett 8-11, 11-4, 11-2, 11-8 (56m)
Jethro Binns bt Sebastian Weenink 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (34m)
Alex Gough lost to Piedro Schweertman 8-11, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11, 4-11 (56m)
Peter Creed lost to Rene Mijs 11-4, 11-13, 11-6, 6-11, 9-11 (76m)
5th place play-off:
[4] GERMANY bt [7] SCOTLAND 4-0
Simon Rosner bt Alan Clyne 11-7, 5-11, 11-5, 11-7 (52m)
Stefan Leifels bt Chris Small 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-3 (35m)
Jens Schoor bt Stuart Crawford 11-9, 4-11, 14-12 (43m)
Andre Haschker bt Harry Leitch 6-11, 11-7, 8-11, 13-11, 11-1 (54m)
7th place play-off:
[9] IRELAND bt [10] FINLAND 2-2 (Ireland win 165-142 on points countback)
Liam Kenny lost to Olli Tuominen 10-12, 9-11, 9-11
Derek Ryan bt Matias Tuomi 5-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-3
John Rooney lost to Henrik Mustonen 10-12, 11-6, 11-13, 11-8, 12-14
Arthur Gaskin bt Heikki Kononen 11-13, 11-3, 11-5, 11-5
9th place play-off:
[8] SPAIN bt [11] DENMARK 2-2 (Spain win 8-6 on games countback)
Borja Golan bt Rasmus Nielsen 11-2, 11-4, 11-4
David Vidal lost to Michael Frilund 9-11, 13-11, 7-11, 7-11
Alejandro Garbi Caro lost to Kristian Frost Olesen 6-11, 11-3, 5-11, 7-11
Victor Montserrat bt Kim Poulsen 14-12, 11-1, 11-8
11th place play-off:
[12] SWEDEN bt [6] SWITZERLAND 3-1
Christian Drakenberg bt Nicolas Mueller 11-1, 11-9, 12-10
Gustav Detter lost to Reiko Peter 11-2, 7-11, 8-11, 11-8, 6-11
Rasmus Hult bt Marcel Straub 11-13, 10-12, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2 (55m)
Carl-Johan Lofvenborg bt Andre Holderegger 6-11, 11-9, 11-2
13th place play-off:
[13] ITALY bt [16] HUNGARY 3-1
Jose Facchini lost to Mark Krajcsak 11-8, 11-5, 4-11, 10-12, 5-11
Andrea Torricini bt Marton Szaboky 11-4, 11-3, 6-11, 8-11, 11-3
Andrea Capella bt Sandor Fulop 11-2, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8 (45m)
Mirko Pareccini bt Daniel Varga 11-3, 11-3, 3-11, 11-9
15th place play-off:
[17] CZECH REPUBLIC bt [14] BELGIUM 4-0
Lukas Jelinek bt Wim van Asten 7-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-8
Jaroslav Cech bt Mats Raemen 11-6, 5-11, 11-7, 11-7
Petr Martin bt Sam van Brusselen 11-4, 8-11, 11-7
Ondrej Ertl bt Jonas Snoeck 11-3, 11-8, 11-6
17th place play-off:
[19] ISRAEL bt [15] AUSTRIA 3-1
Ido Avron lost to Aqeel Rehman 11-7, 17-19, 7-11, 6-11 (47m)
Nadav Wilensky bt Stefan Brauneis 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 5-11, 11-2 (41m)
Nir Arkin bt Jakob Dirnberger 11-5, 11-3, 11-8 (32m)
Nir Zisman bt Lukas Gnauer 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 (35m)
19th place play-off:
[20] SLOVENIA bt [18] LUXEMBOURG 3-1
Klemen Gutman bt Nathan Sneyd 11-9, 11-4, 11-3 (28m)
Miha Kavas lost to Daniel Hutchines 5-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 9-11 (40m)
Martin Mosnik bt Sanjay Raval 9-11, 11-3, 15-13, 11-0 (37m)
Rozle Langus bt Stephane Ayache 11-9, 5-11, 11-13, 11-9, 12-10 (60m)
21st place play-off:
[26] NORWAY bt [21] UKRAINE 4-0
Kristian Solhave bt Rusian Sorochynskvi 4-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-8
Hans-Olav Torgersen bt Kostyantyn Rybalchenko 11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8
Kim Are Killingberg bt Dmytro Shcherbakov 11-8, 3-11, 11-5, 11-6
Ronny Aasbo bt Artem Shandybin 12-10, 11-7, 11-6
23rd place play-off:
[27] GREECE bt [24] GIBRALTAR 3-1
Fabian Kalaitzis bt Anthony Brindle 11-6, 7-11, 11-1, 11-2 (23m)
Konstantinos Kargiotis bt Nicholas de Haro 11-8, 11-5, 14-12 (24m)
Petros Tzamaloukas bt Stephen Shacaluga 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 (19m)
Andreas Hiotakis lost to Mark Tewkesbury 11-9, 5-11, 6-11 (25m)
25th - 28th place play-offs:
[25] POLAND bt [23] RUSSIA 3-1
Wojciech Nowisz lost to Alexei Severinov 6-11, 4-11, 2-11 (27m)
Kamil Dominiak bt George Manuchin 11-3, 11-2, 11-3 (19m)
Marcin Kozik bt Valery Litvinko 11-5, 11-3, 11-8
Maciek Maciantowicz bt Anton Shurenko 11-6, 12-10, 11-6 (18m)
Final positions: 25th [22] LATVIA. 26th [25] POLAND; 27th [23] RUSSIA
Women’s 3rd place play-off:
[3] FRANCE bt [4] IRELAND 2-1
Camille Serme lost to Aisling Blake 4-11, 6-11, 13-15 (25m)
Isabelle Stoehr bt Madeline Perry 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 3-11, 11-8
Maud Duplomb bt Tanya Owens 11-4, 11-3, 11-3 (17m)
5th place play-off:
[5] GERMANY bt [6] DENMARK 2-1
Pamela Hathway bt Ellen Petersen 11-4, 13-11, 12-10 (52m)
Kathrin Rohrmueller lost to Line Hansen 7-11, 10-12, 4-11 (22m)
Sina Wall bt Julie Dorn-Jensen 7-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8 (41m)
7th place play-off:
[11] SWITZERLAND bt [9] ITALY 2-1
Sara Guebey lost to Sonia Pasteris 3-11, 8-11, 9-11 (35m)
Gaby Schmohl bt Manuela Manetta 13-11, 13-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6 (63m)
Jasmin Ballman bt Chiara Ferrari 6-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8 (50m)
9th place play-off:
[12] SCOTLAND bt [10] SPAIN 2-1
Claire Kidd lost to Xisela Aranda Nunez 11-7, 8-11, 8-11, 4-11 (31m)
Frania Gillen-Buchert bt Elisabet Sado Garriga 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 (22m)
Lisa Aitken bt Margaux Moros-Pitarch 14-16, 11-6, 11-7, 5-11, 12-10 (39m)
11th place play-off:
[7] WALES bt [8] BELGIUM 3-0
Stacey Preece bt Annabel Romedenne 11-7, 11-6, 11-0 (17m)
Deon Saffery bt Kim Hannes 11-6, 11-9, 11-4 (23m)
Natalie Pritchard bt Yara Delagrange 11-5, 11-4 (11m)
13th place play-off:
[13] AUSTRIA bt [14] CZECH REPUBLIC 2-1
Pamela Pancis bt Anna Klimondova 11-9, 5-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9 (36m)
Birgit Coufal bt Olga Ertlova 10-12, 11-9, 11-3, 11-8 (36m)
Sabrina Rehman lost to Klara Janoskova 4-11, 2-11 (9m)
15th place play-off:
[15] FINLAND bt [16] SWEDEN 2-1
Saara Valtola lost to Anna Detter 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 4-11 (38m)
Elina Kononen bt Anna-Carin Forstadius 11-7, 11-2, 5-11, 6-11, 11-3 (47m)
Pia Ojala bt Lovisa Forstadius 11-4, 11-4, 11-0 (14m)
17th place play-off:
[19] HUNGARY bt [21] POLAND 2-1
Edina Szombati bt Anna Jurkun 10-12, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-1 (33m)
Helga Kecse-Nagy bt Dominika Witkowska 11-4, 5-11, 11-3, 11-7 (28m)
Krisztina Szekely lost to Anna Sikorska 3-11, 11-1, 10-12 (15m)
19th - 21st place play-offs:
[18] GREECE bt [17] RUSSIA 3-0
Seirena Kazamia bt Ekaterina Marusan 11-0, 11-1, 11-2 (19m)
Eliza Kargioti bt Olga Petrukhina 11-2, 11-3, 11-6 (16m)
Nikoleta Pozidi bt Natalia Zapevalova 5-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 (22m)
Final positions: 19th [20] LUXEMBOURG; 20th [18] GREECE; 21st [17] RUSSIA