The national championship for the Master Pairs Trophy will be decided in the Greystones Bridge Centre, Co Wicklow, next Saturday (1.30 p.m.). The event is confined to players from the master grade upwards. Entries: Paul Porteous (01-2697275). Junior trials will be held this month if sufficient entries are received. Players must be under 25 on January 1st, 1998.
Entries close next Monday with P. Porteous.
The interprovincial championship, played in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel, Athlone, was retained by Leinster with a score of 448. Munster were second with 426, Ulster third with 405, and Connacht last with 319.
Leinster: A. O'Sullivan (nonplaying captain), A. and A.
Montwill, J. MacHale, V. Hand, J. Comyn, B. O'Brien, D. and T.
Garvey, M. and P. O Briain, T. Roche, J. Carroll.
Intermediate interprovincial: 1, Leinster, 446; 2, Munster, 432;
3, Connacht 417; 4, Ulster, 324. Leinster: A. Timoney (npc), F. and G. Kelly, M. Keating, J. McCurdy, C. Tiernan, A. Delaney, J. Timlin, B. McGuinne, P. Sparks, C. O'Driscoll, R. King, N. Minogue.
The first prize of £500 was won by Dr H. McGann, and T. Hanlon in the major pairs championship of the Kilkenny congress, at the Hotel Kilkenny. Runners-up were P. Quinn, and P. Walsh. Third came D. Scannell, and M. Fitzgibbon. Sessional winners: J. Doyle, D. Crosbie; M. Boland, P. Finegan.
Teams: 1, McGann/Hanlon, R. Boland, N. Toibin; 2, T. Walsh, M. Moran, H. Carr, J. Kulchycky; 3, Quinn/Walsh, D. Jackson, P. Barrett. Best intermediate A: M. and D. Sheehan, S. O'Rourke, D.
Sheehan. Second session: D. Walsh, K. Coyne, A. McHale, and S. Newell tied with A. Shannon, E. Walmsley, M. Smith, and A. McHale.
Mixed pairs: 1, S. Maher, J. Fogarty; 2, D. Moore, K. Carew; 3, W. Kelly, L. Tobin. Best Kilkenny: P. and M. Troy. Intermediate pairs: 1, S. Bolger, A. Cummins; 2, P. Seery, B. Hanlon; 3, P. Nolan, J, Ashdown. B prizes: 1, L. McKay, B. Browne; 2, J. Mason, T. Galvin. Best Kilkenny: J. Russell, M. Kilbride. Sessionals: C. Connor, B. O'Meara; M. Butler, S. Burke.
All the national intermediate A, and novice multi-venue open entry pairs will be played on December 7th, except the Cork tournaments which will be on December 6th.
Castlebar entries: M. O'Connor (091-592093). Cork: O. Rose (023-44947). Drogheda: A. Timoney (049-31310). Dublin: T. Casey (01-2981917). Dun Laoghaire: J. Kilduff (012852334). Letterkenny: M. McCauley (074-22897). Limerick: N. Spillane (061-336546). Mullingar: J. Cunningham (044-22326). Waterford: J. O'Leary (051381957).