Joan Kenny, Jeannie Fitzgerald, Teresa Rigney, Siobhán Part, Rebecca Brown-O’Keeffe and Gilda Pender will represent Ireland in the 2023 women’s home-international championship (Lady Milne trophy). They dominated the trials which ended in Dublin on Sunday, finishing well clear of Lucy Phelan, Louise Mitchell, Carol-Ann Cummins, Sandra Newell, Valarie Burke-Moran, and Ann O’Connell. Orla McEntee, Deirdre O’Halloran, Kay Murphy and Anne Burns, who had come through a pre-trials qualifying tournament, were third.
At Kenmare congress, Horst Rosler registered a double. With Phyllis O’Regan, he won the mixed pairs from A MacSweeney and Philip Cretch. Linda O’Riordan, Jim Stokes were third. With Diarmuid Reddan, Bernie O’Halloran and Dermot Lucey he won the team tournament; Liam Gavin, Ger MacSweeney, Andy Cole, Mike O’Shea were second; Trish Stack, Nicky Fitzgibbon, Justin Spratt, John O’Connor third. Rory Boland, Derek O’Gorman won the pairs’ event from Kay Cussen, Denis Sheehan and Cian Holland, Pat Quinn.
Ireland’s national title holders finished out of the medals in the European champions’ cup in Helsinki, but team member Tom Hanlon, Ireland’s only professional player, continues to be an effective ambassador for Irish bridge. Competing in the French premier league, his team has reached the semi-finals, which will be contested in January. He is playing for three in a row, having won for the past two years. Hanlon is a regular competitor not only in Ireland but also in England, France, the US and other countries.
Bríd and Seán Galligan (Mullingar) set a high target on the first evening of the Irish Bridge Union’s simultaneous pairs’ competitions, scoring 79 per cent. Gerard and Patricia Kelly (Baldoyle) had 73.96; Berna Treacy, Noreen Moloney (Ballinhassig) 73.29. Tuesday’s best came from Frank Higgins, Mary Macken (Mullingar) 72.52; Myles Fitzgerald, Liam Gaynor (Palmerstown) 70.85; Sandie McCanny, Breda Roche (Sligo online) 70.77. On Wednesday John Kiernan, Seán Masterson (Templemichael, Longford) came closest to the Galligans with 77.37; Teresa McEntee, Ann Byrne (Crannóg, Cavan) had 69.83; Ian Hamilton, Cass O’Donnell (Sligo online) 69.57. Thursday: Catherine Carroll, Carmel Grimes (Castleknock 72.58; Lorraine Barry, Denise Conlon (Midland) 72.22; Tom Gilligan, Dave Terry (Malahide) 70.39. Friday: Margaret Browne, Mary Roche (Blanchardstown) 65.63; James Egan, Owen Cummins (Blanchardstown) 64.51; Rosaleen and Noel Fortune (Cuala) 64.47.
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The interprovincial championships will be decided in Templeogue, Dublin next Saturday and Sunday. Ulster, whose team was selected following trials that involved all nine counties, is the only province that has announced its team beforehand.