THE imbalance of the pairings at the Carlsberg-sponsored Leinster senior open championships at Templeogue last evening evoked some thought on the practicality of matches between the inexperienced and street wise operators from the circuits.

David O'Connell and Susan O'Neill were the fall guys in this instance and, of the two, O'Neill seemed the more likely to benefit from the experience. She, at least, had not got to endure the awesome pace generated by Tom Spinks which had young O'Connell on the back foot.

Spinks was runner-up to Alistair Hunt, the top seed, in last year's final. His power of serve and arsenal of shots has not waned as O'Connell discovered to his utter frustration in a 6-1 6-2 drubbing.

Lucie Ahl, the number three seed from Britain, was matched in many well-plotted rallies by O'Neill who suffered a 6-1 6-3 defeat. Claire Curran, a winner over O'Neill in last week's Irish under-18 final, got through to the quarter-finals as did Lesley O'Halloran. But Yvonne Doyle, seeded five, unexpectedly went out to unseeded British entry Ley Ogan in straight sets.