The National Pairs Championships were held over the weekend in the Falls Hotel, Ennistymon, with a full turnout for the Open and Intermediate A events and a near-full entry for the Intermediate Bs. The prizewinners were:
- Davidson Trophy (Open Pairs): 1st Joan Kenny & Enda Glynn (Western Region); 2nd Matthew O’Farrell & Luca Crone (Dublin South); 3rd Paul Delaney & Martin Brady (Dublin South) Results
- Laird Trophy (Intermediate A Pairs): 1st Patsy Hanbury & Patsy O’Donoghue (Western); 2nd Dara Voyles & Paul Dunne (Mid Leinster); 3rd Declan Harte & Margaret McCarthy (Western) Results
- Civil Service Cup (Intermediate B Pairs): 1st Marian Keane & Jean Carberry (Dublin North); 2nd Mary Keane & Joan McEnery (North Munster); 3rd Philomena Walsh & Mary Farrell (North Midland) Results
Davidson Trophy Winners 2024
Laird Trophy Winners 2024
Civil Service Cup Winners 2024
All three events were closely fought, but special commiserations to the runners up in the Laird, who were pipped by the smallest of margins – 0.01% after three sessions! A special mention too for Matthew O’Farrell and Luca Crone, who last weekend represented Ireland at Under-26 level, finishing second in the Butler rankings, and this weekend came second in the national pairs championships. Our thanks to our TDs, Fearghal O’Boyle, Mairead Basquille, and Huey Daly for ensuring that all three competitions went smoothly.
Congratulations also to Team IRELAND (effectively the Irish Open team in Mark Moran, John Carroll, Adam Mesbur, Nick FitzGibbon, Tom Hanlon, and NPC Grainne Barton, with the addition of Frederic Volcker of France), who won the prestigious Lederer Trophy in London. It was another tight finish – having led pretty much from start to finish, Ireland clung on in their final match against the second-placed DE BOTTON team, to win by a single point overall. The majority of the team already has a couple of Lederer wins to their names, but this was a first win for both Moran and Volcker. Three of the team, with Conor Boland, David Walsh, and Ciaran Coyne in place of Mesbur, FitzGibbon, and Volcker, will represent us in the second weekend of the Camrose Trophy in Altrincham, England, next weekend. In third place currently, they will need a big weekend, but they are obviously in the form for it, and we wish them the best of luck.
Lederer Trophy Winners 2024
Finally, a reminder that the period for nominations for the President’s Merit Award closes this Wednesday, 28 February.