The online Holmes Wilson proved just as popular as the real thing, with a great turnout of 129 teams filling the virtual hall to capacity. After an excellent weekend’s bridge, the winners were the Irish international quintet of Nick FitzGibbon, Adam Mesbur, Tom Hanlon, Hugh McGann, and Mark Moran. Having looked comfortable for most of the event, they managed to see off a spirited late challenge from the runners-up to win by the small margin of 4 Victory Points. The full top placings were:
- Nick FitzGibbon, Adam Mesbur, Tom Hanlon, Hugh McGann, Mark Moran
- Ruth Connolly, John Murchan, Anne Fitzpatrick, Harold Curran
- Enda Glynn, Gay Keaveney, David Walsh, Ciaran Coyne
- (shared in a tie) Maureen & Bob Pattinson, Ian Lindsay, Ian Hamilton, and Anna Onishuk, Mary Lindopp, John & Lucy Phelan
The team of Peter Stewart, Dolores Gilliland, Michael McAuliffe, and Sandra Newell was victorious in the B Final, just ahead of Petra & Tony O’Neill, Ann O’Connell, and Valarie Burke-Moran. The best all-male team was Padraig O Briain, Micheal O Briain, BJ O’Brien, and Ranald Milne; the best all-female team was LizAnn O’Reilly, Marian Croke, Eileen O’Donovan, and Maria Whelan; the best mixed team was Brid Kemple, Terry Walsh, Louise Mitchell, and Derek O’Gorman; the best Area Master team was Alan Roughneen, Larry Breheny, Rosemary O’Brien, and Paul McDermott; and the best Intermediate A team was the junior team of Luca Crone, Tom Gorey, Sheila Walsh, and Isabel Burke. Well done to them all!
Our thanks to all who played, and to TDs Fearghal O’Boyle, Diarmuid Reddan, and Mairead Basquille for dealing smoothly and efficiently with a complex event. Due to some current limitations on BBO, the directing panel had to introduce a new element to the competition this year, with the top teams from Saturday’s play qualifying for an A Final on the Sunday to decide the winners, and the remaining teams playing a B Final. We would be interested to hear the views of the participants on this format, which could be replicated in the future, or amended somewhat, if the players like it.
Full results in accordance with the conditions announced by the Directors over the weekend can be seen here. The teams that qualified for the A Final, and which were guaranteed to fill the top 11 places, are highlighted in yellow.