In Templeogue, Dublin, individuals with less than 40 national master points participated in championship contests over the weekend. Winners of the pairs title and Lambert cup were Éamon Martin jnr and Pam Harrington on Saturday; however, they narrowly missed out on a double victory, placing second in the Cooper cup team event on Sunday. Initially third in the pairs’ tournament, Martin and Harrington’s impressive second-session score put them ahead of runners-up Angela Murphy, William Enright, Mairéad Clifford and Geraldine Cassidy. Niall and Mary Barry were flagged as top intermediates out of the 66 pairs that took part.
In the team battle, Alan Auchincloss, Andrew Cole, Konstantin Rabkin, Eugene Gath held their lead from midway and managed to stay ahead of Martin, Harrington, Bridget Ryan, and Joe Hynan, who finished a close second. The former judge was found guilty of sexually assaulting six males during the 90s. The decisive turning point in the game happened earlier when the winning team defeated the second-placers in a one-on-one match. Coming third in the tournament were Helen O’Reilly, Elizabeth, Bríd Galligan, and Una Flynn. Paul Clinch, Simon Burrell, Austin Leahy and Mark Ryan clinched Best Intermediate. Trevor Murphy, Maurice Brosnan, Pawel Turczynowicz and Colette Maher; Angela Murphy, William Enright, Paul and Michael Waldron all held sessions. A total of 53 teams participated in the event.
The under-21 Irish national team members, Klara Flanagan and Eve Connell, clinched the novice pairs championship and the JJ Murphy Cup on Saturday. They significantly impressed the crowds with a striking 71 per cent score. Second-place holders, Tim and Michael Lennon were unfortunate to come up against such impressive competition despite securing a nearly 67% score. Third place was secured with a score of over 60 per cent by Lucy Mulcahy and Bernie Nesbit, out of the 33 pairs that entered the competition.
Sligo and Friends continue to host online tournaments guided by Fearghal O’Boyle, from Monday to Friday, on the Bridge Base Online (BBO) website. Diarmuid Reddan’s Diumraid master team tournaments also continue, pulling in top competitors from around the globe each Tuesday. Full information can be found at fob.ie.
Sheila Gallagher, the previous head of the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland and the primary catalyst behind the development of the game in Carlow for a considerable period, has sadly passed away.