Bridge Notes

• Published date: 24 January 2023
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

Local players kept the big prizes at home at Cork congress at the weekend. Cian Holland registered a double while Linda O'Riordan and Nellie White continued their successful season by winning the pairs championship

On Friday Holland and Anne Dillon had a resounding mixed pairs win and finished well clear of Moira Roche, Noel Bradfield with Anne Keating, Dermot O'Brien and Mary Clancy, Ger Mac Sweeney in a tie for third. On Sunday, Holland, Derek O'Gorman, Donal Garvey and Pat Quinn won the team contest at the end of a protracted battle with John and Kelan O'Connor, Kay Cussen and Denis Sheehan. The battle seemed to be settled when O'Connor decisively beat Holland in the head-to-head match before the interval and went on to take a 12-point lead into the last round. However, a disastrous final result for O'Connor coupled with a big last-match score for Holland put the latter in front by a single point. Dave Terry, Pat Cassidy, Tom Gilligan and Seán Connor who played steadily throughout and were never far behind the leaders were a close third.

O'Riordan and White won the pairs championship with a good margin to spare over Joe Higgins and Mick Lavelle with Holland and O'Gorman again featuring prominently to be third. This was O'Riordan's and White's second big win of the season having won at Limerick in October. The...