Bridge Notes: Yeats Country Charity Congress sees tie for first place in main pairs event

Ian and Niall Kilroy (Ballina) and Jimmy Gallagher, John McGinley (Donegal) tied for first in the main pairs event of the Yeats Country online charity congress at the weekend. Freddie Langford, Eugene Gath were third. James Ward and Gerry McCague were best in the area masters’ competition; Frank Browne, Phyl Sherrard were second, Neil Breheny, Rosaleen Glasheen third. The team tournament went to Pat Liston, Mark Burke, Aidan and Ena Cleary from David Jackson, Tom Gibson, Terry Walsh, BJ O’Brien. The runners-up felt confident when carding a last-round maximum 20 points but the winners scored 19 to remain in front. Ian Walsh, Warner Solomon, Stefan Lindfors, Ian Grant, playing from Cornwall, were third. Best intermediate: Maria Lynch, Mary Gannon, Patricia Hanney, Maura McTernan.

Other results

Intermediate A pairs: 1. Michelle and Suzie Berkery; 2. Carmel Fitzgerald, Breda Murphy; 3. Joan McAndrew, Maria Lister. Intermediate B Friday: Paul and John Woodcock. Saturday: Dara Voyles, Nicola O’Dowd. Sunday: Marian Delduca, Anne Culhane. Mixed: 1. Sue Fjortoft, Nick Woodcock; 2. Olive Kilbane, John Kiernan; 3 Nora McVeigh, Georgio Magnifico. Gala: 1. Gath, Ward; 2. Walsh, Solomon; 3. Kathleen and James McAllister.

At the European Transnational Championships in Strasbourg, Aoife MacHale and Peter Goodman proved best of the Irish in the mixed pairs tournament when they reached the semi-final. Debbie and Michael Rosenberg (USA) won the gold medals, with Norwegian players taking silver and bronze. Albert Bitran and François Stretz (France) registered a double when winning the senior team and pairs tournaments. Ciaran Coyne, David Walsh, Peter Pigot and Derek O’Gorman have won six matches and lost five in the open team championship. Mark Moran, John Carroll, Adam Mesbur, Tommy Garvey, Tom Hanlon and Frederic Volcker (France) struggled in the early rounds, winning four and losing seven, but there is little between the two teams overall.

[ Bridge notes: Irish quartet fall short of knock-out stages in mixed team tournament ]

Diane Greenwood, with English, French, and Welsh team-mates, is best of the Irish in sixth place in the women’s team event, having won eight of 11 matches. Mary Kelly-Rogers, Anne Fitzpatrick, Louise Mitchell and Lucy Phelan with Tura Elmas and Ozlem Kandolu (Turkey) won five and lost six. Joan Kenny, Jeannie Fitzgerald, Teresa Rigney, Siobhán Part, Rebecca O’Keeffe-Brown and Gilda Pender have won only three of their matches. The latter two teams are close overall.