Ireland has progressed to the knockout rounds of the open championship at the World Bridge Games, taking place in Buenos Aires. The team, consisting of Mark Moran, John Carroll, Nick FitzGibbon, Adam Mesbur, Tom Hanlon and Conor Boland, led by their captain Gráinne Barton, concluded their successful qualifying rounds with a resounding victory against the USA. Despite finishing fifth in their group, the top eight translates to progressing to the knockout rematches.
The team consistently lingered around the qualifying point right from the onset, essentially securing their spot in the advanced rounds with convincing triumphs over fellow qualifiers Romania and Netherlands. Ireland’s group was lead by Sweden, with China at the helm of group B and Poland at the forefront of both the women’s and mixed tournaments. Meanwhile, the senior qualifiers group was spearheaded by the USA. Drawing Poland for the round of 16, was the next challenge for Ireland.
Unfortunately, neither the Irish women’s nor the mixed teams advanced in their specific competitions. Despite Friday’s consecutive victories, including taking down England and France, the momentum failed to carry forward. However, the World Bridge Organisation exemplified their commitment to maintain integrity by expelling three teams caught infringing mobile phone regulations within the play area.
This week will see the board-a-match, transnational teams, open, women’s, senior and mixed pairs championships in full swing. The championship tournament is set to conclude on Sunday.
In other news, one of Northern Ireland’s top players, Sam Hall has passed away unexpectedly. Hall, known for his frequent wins in northern championships, victories in the South, and standing as a representative for Northern Ireland in home-international championships, was also part of the All-Ireland tournaments. He was supposed to participate in the ongoing World Bridge Games in Argentina, but the team was forced to withdraw. He is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.
Next week, the Abbey and Central hotels will play host to Donegal congress, with the main pairs’ competitions kicking off on Friday evening and carrying on into Saturday afternoon. Team tournaments will follow on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. Details can be found on fob.ie and participants can sign up on cbai.ie. The Irish Bridge Union’s simultaneous pairs’ competitions will run from November 4th to 8th, featuring computer-generated deals played simultaneously countrywide each evening.