This weekend is Interprovincial weekend. The Interprovincials are a strange event in almost every sport or game. In the GAA nobody wants them as it is just another chance to get injured. Back when I was a kid it was a big deal for a county player to make the Ulster team and the finals were held on Paddys Day and shown live on TV. This was in a time of no ESPN or SKYSPORTS.
Anyway back to the bridge.
Munster is the only team with anything close to their strongest active players. They are fielding 3 teams of mostly Open Trials level.
Leinster historically always fields 2 Open and 1 lady team. I think a good performance in the Kelbourne Trophy gets you on the team along with something akin to an international team.
Connacht historically field 3 decent 4somes. This year they have 2 open trials level teams and one team that I know less about.
Ulster looks to be booked for last place as their team lacks most of the recent Camrose Trophy players. Lindsay and Hamilton might argue the point but Greenwood Anderson McKenzie Coffey Lavery Robin Burns John Murchan Ciara Burns Diane Greenwood Tranmer Hastings and probably a few I have forgotten as I don't play so much these days. Ah yes Ruth and Wayne might be worth a try. They could even import Tony from Clones. No doubt someone will tackle me on this as I forgot to mention him or her.
So I will pick Munster for the win ... but someone needs to keep BJ down and the O'Briains could have a good run. Maybe Malahide stars Conor O'Hara will roll back the years but not being a regular partnership trouble might rear its head.
So Munster is my pick and Ulster for the spoon ..
Leading team ... McDonagh of Connacht and O'Gorman of Munster followed by Team O'BJ of Leinster
Results and Running Scores are at www.fob.ie
....................
Shortly I will be replaying the 100 boards of the Cavendish qualifiers and the 42 boards of the Final.
I want to see how I will do against the champion Mesbur and Fitzgibbon. Watch this space.
.........
Of Irish interest here is a bulletin from 2000
http://web2.acbl.org/nabcbulletins/2000fall/db7.pdf
Maybe Ulster could have fielded Pat McDevitt of Donegal on their interpro team..
A World and NABC Senior champion ..
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Friday, October 23, 2015
Adam and Nick win Cavendish Pairs apparently
Despite several messages to the contrary my information indicates Adam Mesbur and NickFitzgibbon are Cavandish Pairs champions for this year.
However I am not on site so I cannot guarantee this result. However I know a man who is on the site
and Rory says they placed first. However someone else has a picture of final scoreboard saying 2nd ..
Either way great result and the rama has been perfect all week ..so I trust "The Proffessor"
So we go with that for now
http://www.cavendishmonaco.com/index.php?lang=en
More details including confirmation might be found here later
Here is the rama
However I am not on site so I cannot guarantee this result. However I know a man who is on the site
and Rory says they placed first. However someone else has a picture of final scoreboard saying 2nd ..
Either way great result and the rama has been perfect all week ..so I trust "The Proffessor"
So we go with that for now
http://www.cavendishmonaco.com/index.php?lang=en
More details including confirmation might be found here later
Here is the rama
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Adam and Nick going well so far in Cavandish Pairs
As stated yesterday ....
Today sees the main event ... The Cavandish Pairs ...
I note the presence of Adam Mesbur and Nick Fitzgibbon here and don't be surprised if they
perform very well. I would think they even have a chance of making the Final A ..
There are many great players in this event but many are in unpracticed partnerships..
Adam and Nick have been practicing for many years and playing at top level for many years.
Now they won't beat Tor and Geir but could beat many others.
Adam and Nick lead Cavendish Pairs qualifying after 56 boards of 90
At least I indicated yesterday before the event ..
http://www.cavendishmonaco.com/index.php?lang=en
Above link is for Cavendish event .. Hanlon Carroll doing ok also
Today sees the main event ... The Cavandish Pairs ...
I note the presence of Adam Mesbur and Nick Fitzgibbon here and don't be surprised if they
perform very well. I would think they even have a chance of making the Final A ..
There are many great players in this event but many are in unpracticed partnerships..
Adam and Nick have been practicing for many years and playing at top level for many years.
Now they won't beat Tor and Geir but could beat many others.
Adam and Nick lead Cavendish Pairs qualifying after 56 boards of 90
At least I indicated yesterday before the event ..
http://www.cavendishmonaco.com/index.php?lang=en
Above link is for Cavendish event .. Hanlon Carroll doing ok also
Limerick Congress and Cavandish
Last weekend I was invited down to Limerick Bridge Congress to do some directing. Directing is a handy job when Diarmuid Reddan is in charge. Diarmuid and his Congress Committee seem to have everything under control.
I don't know all the names of the Congress Committee so I best not mention any in case I leave the most important one out or include someone who is not on the Committee.
Last weekend I encountered a new movement .. The Web Mitchel ..
There were 23 tables in the Intermediate Pairs and it went .. 9 tables 7 tables 7 tables all in a row of 1 to 23 .. Boards were put out .. 1-27 then 1-21 with 2 relays at table 7 and 3rd set of boards were played in reverse order again with 2 relays .. East West pairs moved up a table each round and could cross sections during the sessions .. So you reached table 9 and carried onto table 1 (10) of next section. I will have to examine this one
Anyway Maura Lane and Moira Coughlan won the intermediate pairs with a massive 68.1% score.
.............
So on arriving at Limerick I was handed a pile of papers to sort out .. Turned out these were the paperwork required for Gerry Fulham to run his weekend of Open Pairs .. Open Pairs A to F and Table Numbers which he decided not to use ..
Then there was table numbers 1-24 for the intermediate pairs. Meanwhile Diarmuid and Gordon were dealing boards constantly before sessions. There were also many sets of boards already dealt and someone seemed to know exactly what was in each box.
Gordons quiz was also running but it was kind of complex this year and I only got as far as first clue.
Rhymes with Treacle .... I presume it was Feakle ...
Then the next answers were from counties that bordered the first answer or something like that.
Oh what a twisted mind that Gordon chap has ...
As for Diarmuid ..he knows the nuances of every bridge player in the room .. I mentioned some intermediate and gloating and he knew without seeing the person who it was and indicated a lecture was in order.
http://bridge.silvertexter.eu/results/2O3.TXT
http://www.fob.ie/
.............
Meanwhile in Monte Carlo Team Moran placed 3rd in the Patton de Monaco
One might be able to figure out some results from the link below
http://www.cavendishmonaco.com/index.php?lang=en
in the Cavandish Teams Ireland got smashed in the final qualifying match and followed up with two
small wins to finish in mid table in the Swiss.
Today sees the main event ... The Cavandish Pairs ...
I note the presence of Adam Mesbur and Nick Fitzgibbon here and don't be surprised if they
perform very well. I would think they even have a chance of making the Final A ..
There are many great players in this event but many are in unpracticed partnerships..
Adam and Nick have been practicing for many years and playing at top level for many years.
Now they won't beat Tor and Geir but could beat many others.
John Carroll partners Thomas Hanlon in the same event
Rory Boland and Mark Moran also take part .. Lets see if the Boland can front load this field.
Thanks
Eamon Galligan
I don't know all the names of the Congress Committee so I best not mention any in case I leave the most important one out or include someone who is not on the Committee.
Last weekend I encountered a new movement .. The Web Mitchel ..
There were 23 tables in the Intermediate Pairs and it went .. 9 tables 7 tables 7 tables all in a row of 1 to 23 .. Boards were put out .. 1-27 then 1-21 with 2 relays at table 7 and 3rd set of boards were played in reverse order again with 2 relays .. East West pairs moved up a table each round and could cross sections during the sessions .. So you reached table 9 and carried onto table 1 (10) of next section. I will have to examine this one
Anyway Maura Lane and Moira Coughlan won the intermediate pairs with a massive 68.1% score.
.............
So on arriving at Limerick I was handed a pile of papers to sort out .. Turned out these were the paperwork required for Gerry Fulham to run his weekend of Open Pairs .. Open Pairs A to F and Table Numbers which he decided not to use ..
Then there was table numbers 1-24 for the intermediate pairs. Meanwhile Diarmuid and Gordon were dealing boards constantly before sessions. There were also many sets of boards already dealt and someone seemed to know exactly what was in each box.
Gordons quiz was also running but it was kind of complex this year and I only got as far as first clue.
Rhymes with Treacle .... I presume it was Feakle ...
Then the next answers were from counties that bordered the first answer or something like that.
Oh what a twisted mind that Gordon chap has ...
As for Diarmuid ..he knows the nuances of every bridge player in the room .. I mentioned some intermediate and gloating and he knew without seeing the person who it was and indicated a lecture was in order.
http://bridge.silvertexter.eu/results/2O3.TXT
http://www.fob.ie/
.............
Meanwhile in Monte Carlo Team Moran placed 3rd in the Patton de Monaco
One might be able to figure out some results from the link below
http://www.cavendishmonaco.com/index.php?lang=en
in the Cavandish Teams Ireland got smashed in the final qualifying match and followed up with two
small wins to finish in mid table in the Swiss.
Today sees the main event ... The Cavandish Pairs ...
I note the presence of Adam Mesbur and Nick Fitzgibbon here and don't be surprised if they
perform very well. I would think they even have a chance of making the Final A ..
There are many great players in this event but many are in unpracticed partnerships..
Adam and Nick have been practicing for many years and playing at top level for many years.
Now they won't beat Tor and Geir but could beat many others.
John Carroll partners Thomas Hanlon in the same event
Rory Boland and Mark Moran also take part .. Lets see if the Boland can front load this field.
Thanks
Eamon Galligan
Recent News Items
In my last post Ireland Seniors backboned by Pat Barry and Rex Anderson had cruised into the D'Orsi Bowl Senior quarter finals. Choosing USA2 as the least of evils ..I think Poland was the other option.
However a USA Senior Team of any shape is going to be no pushover as USA Senior Trials often start with up to 20 teams of hardened bridge veterans. All of whom who would play at least 1 if not all 3 of US Nationals every year.
So the expected result happened and USA2 slowly ground Ireland to a loss.
The match was fairly close but Irelands final chance disappeared when a 3NT slipped through swinging about 14 imps.
.................
Meanwhile here in Ireland we had the Mixed Pairs/Teams Weekend.
The Spiro Cup Mixed Pairs was topped by Rita O'Neill and Brendan Martin from Wicklow
followed by Seamus Costello and Deirdre Tuckey from the far North of Dublin
with perennial contenders Carol Ann Cummins and John Noonan also from Wicklow in 3rd
Sean O'Lubaigh had a tough day but got through it
.........................
In the Duais 2015(Thats the Presidents Prize) Cian Holland and Mary Finn held off 133 other pairs to emerge victorious after 3 gruelling sessions .. The emerging intermediate pair of Jeannie Fitzgerald and Emer Joyce languished in 50th place 1122 matchpoints behind the winners. The well known tennis player Malcolm Swan finished in 9th place. Not bad for a chap with goofy glasses and partnered Stephen Barr.
.....................
Meanwhile Drogheda Congress presumably ran its annual bridge extravaganza superbly as normal
MacCormac and McMaugh led early on before losing strength and being passed out by Marcin and Wojech.
McMaugh and MacCormac bounced back to take the Congress Teams on the Sunday carried by the incredible BJ O'Brien. and the well known Dublin bridge teacher Ranald Milne
If you want to improve your game .. Google Ranald Milne and surely something will pop up.
Saturday, October 03, 2015
Ireland Senior Bridge Team cruise into QF
Irelands Senior Bridge team after receiving a late invitation to the World Bridge Finals cruised through the round robin and finished in 3rd place out of 22 runners in the d'Orsi Trophy.
The d'Orsi Trophy is an over 60s version of the Bermuda Bowl. Ireland had failed to qualify out of European championships when fading to 7th place late on. However there was a good chance of getting into the main draw as first reserve. However thru early September there was no white smoke.
Finally Sri Lanka withdrew and Ireland were on their way.
The Irish team of Padraig O'Briain Michael O'Brian Pat Barry Rex Anderson Adam Mesbur and Nick Fitzgibbon certainly had some pedigree but would lack match practice at this level of bridge.
Mesbur and Fitzgibbon had kept up their ferocious training regime since leaving the Irish Open setup and would still retain match fitness even two years later from their Open battles. Mesbur and Fitzgibbon had even outran the cheating German doctors to win a recent European Senior pairs event.
Barry and Anderson upon hearing of their pending trip to Chennai set about some bidding practice session with Eamon Galligan. We got through 6 or 8 training sessions of 2 hours a piece. One day we even started at 10am as Eamon had to run vugraph for Camrose trials.
Meanwhile the O'Briain brothers powered to victory in the Telscher Trophy in City North in May but there was no mention of Chennai back then. However they continued with their own preparations just in case. As I understand it the O'Briains were not even part of this prospective team back in May.
However they are definitely present and contributing right now.
So in round 20 of 21 this morning Ireland dismantled USA2 and guaranteed Quarter Final status with a full match to spare. Ireland broke Austria in Round 15 with a heavy defeat of the erstwhile 3rd place Austrians. Round 16 saw Norway defeated. Round 17 saw Mesbur Fitzgibbon take a rest as the other 4 dispatched Chile. Round 18 saw Ireland post 24 imps in the last 3 boards. The late boards historically had been Irish bridge teams weak points.
We awoke early on Saturday morning to watch proceeding on the internet .. Ireland held a 15 point lead on 9th place but wanted more. A top 3 placing would give some leverage in determining knockout opponents. Round 19 saw Ireland paste New Zealand 20-0 and climb into 3rd place.
The New Zealand bridge players are not on a par with their rugby players. Round 20 saw a possible banana skin as Ireland faced USA2 possibly one of the pre tournament favourites. However 20 imps in the last 3 boards posted a 22 imp victory and guaranteed Quarter Final status.
Ireland sat out Mesbur Fitzgibbon on round 21 and built a 44-2 lead by board 10.
Tomorrow morning at presumably 0630 Ireland time Ireland will take on the USA2 team in a 96 board quarter final. The USA2 team is made up of Denis Clerkin Jerry Clerkin Jeff Aker Doug Simson Mark Tollivar and Marc Zwerling. Clerkin would be a good Cavan Monaghan name.
Some Clerkins emigrated to USA from Cavan and Monaghan in early 1900s.
So roll on tomorrow but a 96 board match against 6 top players is not as straight forward as a 16 board match. However I have every confidence in the Irish lads. Not many come out the right side of Mesbur Fitzgibbon. The O'Briain brothers have been mainstays of Irish bridge for many years. Michael O'Briain the silent asassion. Says little but knows lots. Finally the elder statemen Pat Barry and Rex Anderson. Rex Anderson celebrated 100 caps for Northern Ireland in 2013 and was introduced for an award by Tony Forrester.
www.bridgebase.com for Ireland v USA2 at 0630 Irish time. Your only chance
to see Ireland playing live all day. Otherwise you can watch the scores coming in on
the live scoring thru the day.
Good luck to Ireland tomorrow.
Currently England are mounting the comeback against Australia in the rugby but I have already cashed out my winnings so can watch in peace.
The d'Orsi Trophy is an over 60s version of the Bermuda Bowl. Ireland had failed to qualify out of European championships when fading to 7th place late on. However there was a good chance of getting into the main draw as first reserve. However thru early September there was no white smoke.
Finally Sri Lanka withdrew and Ireland were on their way.
The Irish team of Padraig O'Briain Michael O'Brian Pat Barry Rex Anderson Adam Mesbur and Nick Fitzgibbon certainly had some pedigree but would lack match practice at this level of bridge.
Mesbur and Fitzgibbon had kept up their ferocious training regime since leaving the Irish Open setup and would still retain match fitness even two years later from their Open battles. Mesbur and Fitzgibbon had even outran the cheating German doctors to win a recent European Senior pairs event.
Barry and Anderson upon hearing of their pending trip to Chennai set about some bidding practice session with Eamon Galligan. We got through 6 or 8 training sessions of 2 hours a piece. One day we even started at 10am as Eamon had to run vugraph for Camrose trials.
Meanwhile the O'Briain brothers powered to victory in the Telscher Trophy in City North in May but there was no mention of Chennai back then. However they continued with their own preparations just in case. As I understand it the O'Briains were not even part of this prospective team back in May.
However they are definitely present and contributing right now.
So in round 20 of 21 this morning Ireland dismantled USA2 and guaranteed Quarter Final status with a full match to spare. Ireland broke Austria in Round 15 with a heavy defeat of the erstwhile 3rd place Austrians. Round 16 saw Norway defeated. Round 17 saw Mesbur Fitzgibbon take a rest as the other 4 dispatched Chile. Round 18 saw Ireland post 24 imps in the last 3 boards. The late boards historically had been Irish bridge teams weak points.
We awoke early on Saturday morning to watch proceeding on the internet .. Ireland held a 15 point lead on 9th place but wanted more. A top 3 placing would give some leverage in determining knockout opponents. Round 19 saw Ireland paste New Zealand 20-0 and climb into 3rd place.
The New Zealand bridge players are not on a par with their rugby players. Round 20 saw a possible banana skin as Ireland faced USA2 possibly one of the pre tournament favourites. However 20 imps in the last 3 boards posted a 22 imp victory and guaranteed Quarter Final status.
Ireland sat out Mesbur Fitzgibbon on round 21 and built a 44-2 lead by board 10.
Tomorrow morning at presumably 0630 Ireland time Ireland will take on the USA2 team in a 96 board quarter final. The USA2 team is made up of Denis Clerkin Jerry Clerkin Jeff Aker Doug Simson Mark Tollivar and Marc Zwerling. Clerkin would be a good Cavan Monaghan name.
Some Clerkins emigrated to USA from Cavan and Monaghan in early 1900s.
So roll on tomorrow but a 96 board match against 6 top players is not as straight forward as a 16 board match. However I have every confidence in the Irish lads. Not many come out the right side of Mesbur Fitzgibbon. The O'Briain brothers have been mainstays of Irish bridge for many years. Michael O'Briain the silent asassion. Says little but knows lots. Finally the elder statemen Pat Barry and Rex Anderson. Rex Anderson celebrated 100 caps for Northern Ireland in 2013 and was introduced for an award by Tony Forrester.
www.bridgebase.com for Ireland v USA2 at 0630 Irish time. Your only chance
to see Ireland playing live all day. Otherwise you can watch the scores coming in on
the live scoring thru the day.
Good luck to Ireland tomorrow.
Currently England are mounting the comeback against Australia in the rugby but I have already cashed out my winnings so can watch in peace.
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