Bridge Notes

THE ALL-Ireland inter-county bridge team championship (Burke Trophy) will be decided over three sessions next Saturday and Sunday at the Templeogue Centre in Dublin. The holders are Dublin City.

The programme for the Torc congress, which will be held next weekend in the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, is: Friday (7.45pm), gala open pairs; Saturday, major pairs (2pm); novice pairs (7.45pm), entertainment (10.45pm). Sunday (11am), teams.

Open pairs will start on Saturday at 2pm and 7.45pm and on Sunday at 12.15pm and 2pm. Main entries: Marjorie Barton (066-976 4726).

The prizewinners in the six national championships, which took place in the Sligo Southern Hotel, were: pairs, mixed (Jim Fitzgerald Trophy): 1, P Cassidy, M Reid; 2, C Smyth, B Ronan; 3, C and K McSherry. Best A2: R and M Wallace. Best B: D and A McDonnell. Area masters (John J Kiely Trophy): 1, M and S Doherty; 2, T Lawlor, K Walsh; 3, F and B Kelly. Sessionals: M Timoney, M Brady; J Burke, M Maloney.

Inter A (New Ireland Trophy): 1, M O'Malley, F Gill; 2, R Kilcoyne, A Kelly; 3, B Ronan, P Cassidy; 4, M Reid, C Smyth; 5, G Sheridan, P Gillanders. Best A2: J and A Morahan. Sessionals: D Doherty, P McKinley; P Laird, A Buckley.

Inter B (Kervick Cup): 1, Loretta and Larry Curley; 2, F Kelly, T Banks; 3, D and A McDonnell; 4, B Connolly, R Duff. Novice (Waterford Crystal): 1, M Corcoran, L Sweeney; 2, M O'Brien, P Brennan; 3, S Galbraith, P Carty.

Teams: 1, L Duffy, C Dillane, R Jennings, D O'Keeffe; 2, M Reid, C Smyth, P Cassidy, B Ronan; 3, M Browne, E Carroll, P Geoghegan, P Duff. Best A2: S Coll, P Sheridan, G McGinley, G Gallagher. Best B: D and A McDonnell, B Connolly, R Duff.

Directors: F O'Boyle, M Basquille, F Goodwin. The final placings in the Junior Camrose (under- 25), and Peggy Bayer (under-20) home international championships, played in Chancellor's Centre, Manchester, were - Camrose: 1, England; 2, Scotland; 3, Northern Ireland; 4, Republic of Ireland; 5, Wales. Bayer: 1, Scotland; 2, England; 3, Wales; 4, Northern Ireland; 5, Republic of Ireland.

Northern Ireland's teams - Camrose: K Nash; R Connolly; K Lomas; J Corrie; W Somerville; I Jones, J Millership (non-playing captain). Bayer: J Spence; L Quinlan; A Clegg; L Williams; L Rogan; P Corrie, S Millership (npc).

Republic - Camrose: E Davis; R Boyd; D Synnott; J Martin; M O'Rourke; R Adams, M Brady (npc). Bayer: N Doyle; H Gormally; K O'Connor; B Smyth; E O'Kane; A Woods, K Downes (npc).

Newcastle West open pairs championship in Desmond Complex - 1, D Sheehan, G Clarson; 2, J Scanlon, M O'Sullivan; 3, K Halpin, F O'Donnell. Sessionals: R McCarthy; J Maher; M Sheehan, P Dineen.

Skerries open pairs championship (John Lane Cup) in Bracken Court Hotel, Balbriggan - 1, M Kelly-Rogers, F Kelly; 2, E Scott, S Costello; 3, H and B Sheridan; 4, M Wherity, C Clarke. Sessionals: S Treanor; N Grimes; A Dixon; P Bell.

Bridge holidays - Eastern Mediterranean cruise, August 31st to September 7th, details, Séamus Dowling (01-493 3390).

Costa del Sol, September 4th- 18th, details, Mary Walsh (01-269 1463).

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times