ITALY HAS won its 20th European open bridge team championship and its eighth of the last nine stagings of the event.
Starting the last round of matches in Ostend on Saturday, Italy had a seven-point lead over Poland. Italy had lost 10-20 to Israel but the Poles failed to take advantage and had to settle for the silver medals when they lost 11-19 to Germany. Israel won bronze.
Ireland’s Micheál and Pádraig Ó Briain, BJ O’Brien, Derek O’Gorman, Peter Pigot and Terry Walsh, with non-playing captain Thomas MacCormac, had led the field for the first two days and remained in contention for a place in the final until the last qualifying match.
The tournament was a triumph for O’Brien who only two months ago had a kidney transplant. He is believed to be the first transplant recipient to have represented Ireland in any sport or game in an open international contest.
In the women’s event, France won the gold medals by one point from the Netherlands with Sweden third. Going into the last match, the French had a one-point advantage over the Dutch who, in the final contest, scored the maximum 25 points against Switzerland. However the French matched that with a similar score against Turkey.
Ireland’s Ciara Burns, Mary Finn, Emer Joyce, Joan Kenny, Jill Kulchycky and Teresa Rigney, with Gay Keaveney as non-playing captain, finished down the field despite some good performances.
Poland won the seniors (over- 60) contest from Denmark, with Italy third. Ireland’s Rex Anderson Pat Barry, Michael MacDonagh, Patrick McDevitt, Donal Garvey and David Jackson (playing captain) finished ninth of the 23 competing nations. It was Ireland’s highest finish in this event.
MacDonagh and McDevitt played particularly well, being adjudged the ninth best pair in the competition.
John Carroll and Adam Mesbur finished third in the B final of the transnational pairs contest. Niamh Gormally (16), the youngest competitor in all of the events in Ostend and partnering her grandmother Kay Downes, finished in the lower half of the field.
Results, including medal winners and qualifiers for the World team championships in Eindhoven in 2011 (the host-nation Netherlands automatically qualified): Open championship: 1 Italy, 2 Poland, 3 Israel, 4 Iceland, 5 Sweden, 6 Netherlands, 7 Bulgaria. Ireland failed to reach final rounds and 38 nations competed.
Women:1 France, 2 Netherlands, 3 Sweden, 4 Germany, 5 England, 6 Poland, 7 Italy, 22 Ireland, and 28 nations took part.
Transnational pairs:A final: 1 Gotard-Gotard (Germany), 2 Graustrom-Graustrom (Finland), 3 Spangenberg-Spangenberg (Netherlands) B final: 1 Stuurman-Wackwitz (Netherlands), 2 Mayence-Delforge (Belgium), 3 Carroll-Mesbur (Ireland).