The eight men's finalists came out in reverse order of qualifying and it soon proved to one or two that these problems were a different piece of Cod to earlier. The early starters didn't get to grips with things and it wasn't until Nick Sellars, Neil Travers, Stuart Littlefair and Malcolm Smith came out that things got moving. Neil and Nick utilised their knowledge of the Foundry to post good scores and finish third and fourth respectively. Stuart was well up for it and finally began to fulfil his potential in a competition by flashing four of the five problems including a scandalous display on the final one. A long roof problem requiring the complex use of feet and then along came Stuart, who forgot how to use his as he powered footless across long locks to the problems conclusion. A stunning performance, could Malcolm better him?

A highly composed Malcolm started comfortably, flashing the first three, and he soon made it to problem four. A heinous twisted gritstone type problem on the DR cube using Percy's 'Features of Despair' comprising sloping ledges, pinches and blobs. The first duty was to go down one before a desperate rockover gained a bonus hold blob from which a huge sideways dyno, that had the audience flinching, gained the top. Stuart only managed the bonus hold and if Malcolm could get to the top he would have one hand on the title. Pulling out all of the stops Malcolm reached the bonus and unleashed the dyno and grasped the jug. Following that problem five was pretty mild (and he used his feet!) and Malcolm regained the title of S7 British Bouldering Champion.