Round 1 Novice Kirwan League
We are up and running in the Kirwan League. This year we have seven teams in the Novice
League, up from five last year. We have some old faces and a lot of new faces. Welcome back
to Leo and his Donabate team, Lars and his Raheny T eam, Mary Herlihy and her Clontarf team
and a whole new Malahide team from that of last year. These have been joined by new teams
from Vernon and Glasnevin. We did lose the team from St Gabriel’s, who won the Novice
League last year as they have moved on to bigger and better things - not quite heaven but the
Inter B Kirwan League! It is really great to have you all on board and we hope that you will enjoy
your Kirwan League experience.
We will have seven rounds this year as against five last year and each team will get to play six
matches as against four matches last year. Like last year DNR will run seven facilitated nights,
where we will supply a Tournament Director who will look after the games and help you with the
scoring and also bring predealt boards. The dates of the facilitated nights are as follows:
Unlike last year, if you do not wish to avail of the facilitated game facility, you are welcome to
arrange to play on any other date, provided you get your game played before the end date for
the round.
As you all know Round 1 was completed last Thursday and while you are all aware of how your
individual matches went, here are the full set of results and the League T able at the end of
Round 1.
As you can see, the most exciting match of all was that between Frank Clarke’s Vernon team
and Louise Jacob’s Clontarf team. Frank’s team won the 1st session by 26 IMP’s to 4, but
Louise’s team came storming back in the 2nd session winning by 32 IMP’s to 10. This was
helped in no small way in their scores on Boards 12 and 13. On board 12 Chris O’Hanlon failed
to make his 4 Spade contract, while Peggy Groarke did and on board 13 Frank and Chris went
a “Bridge too far” ending up in 5NT which was not makeable, while Mary Herlihy safely made
her 3NT . This highlights how important it is to make your game contract when it is on and not to
overbid your hand. I do both those things all the time!!
Malahide had the win over Glasnevin, despite the gallant effort of Anne Dempsey from
Glasnevin who was the only person to bid and make 6 Hearts on board 5. There were also
potential slams on boards 4, 7 and 9. I have enclosed a copy of the boards that you played on
Thursday night. You should check out these boards with your partners to see if there is any
possibility to bid them.
Louise McKenna’s Vernon team top the league after their win over Donabate who were probably
exhausted from their long journey into Raheny and especially as there wasn’t even a drop of tea
and a sticky bun available to give them a sugar rush when they arrived. I had apologised in
advance to Leo for our lack of hospitality and he said he would bring a bottle of bubbly (for the
opposition I assume, because there was no way that he could drive all the way back to
Donabate after imbibing bubbles). I was to bring the glasses. Leo duly arrived with the bubbly,
but I didn’t bring the glasses. How inhospitable is that!!!!
The next facilitated set of matches is on Thursday the 19th in St Paul’s again with the following
match ups:
I will bring the bubbly this time and some plastic cups!
We are up and running in the Kirwan League. This year we have seven teams in the Novice
League, up from five last year. We have some old faces and a lot of new faces. Welcome back
to Leo and his Donabate team, Lars and his Raheny T eam, Mary Herlihy and her Clontarf team
and a whole new Malahide team from that of last year. These have been joined by new teams
from Vernon and Glasnevin. We did lose the team from St Gabriel’s, who won the Novice
League last year as they have moved on to bigger and better things - not quite heaven but the
Inter B Kirwan League! It is really great to have you all on board and we hope that you will enjoy
your Kirwan League experience.
We will have seven rounds this year as against five last year and each team will get to play six
matches as against four matches last year. Like last year DNR will run seven facilitated nights,
where we will supply a Tournament Director who will look after the games and help you with the
scoring and also bring predealt boards. The dates of the facilitated nights are as follows:
Unlike last year, if you do not wish to avail of the facilitated game facility, you are welcome to
arrange to play on any other date, provided you get your game played before the end date for
the round.
As you all know Round 1 was completed last Thursday and while you are all aware of how your
individual matches went, here are the full set of results and the League T able at the end of
Round 1.
As you can see, the most exciting match of all was that between Frank Clarke’s Vernon team
and Louise Jacob’s Clontarf team. Frank’s team won the 1st session by 26 IMP’s to 4, but
Louise’s team came storming back in the 2nd session winning by 32 IMP’s to 10. This was
helped in no small way in their scores on Boards 12 and 13. On board 12 Chris O’Hanlon failed
to make his 4 Spade contract, while Peggy Groarke did and on board 13 Frank and Chris went
a “Bridge too far” ending up in 5NT which was not makeable, while Mary Herlihy safely made
her 3NT . This highlights how important it is to make your game contract when it is on and not to
overbid your hand. I do both those things all the time!!
Malahide had the win over Glasnevin, despite the gallant effort of Anne Dempsey from
Glasnevin who was the only person to bid and make 6 Hearts on board 5. There were also
potential slams on boards 4, 7 and 9. I have enclosed a copy of the boards that you played on
Thursday night. You should check out these boards with your partners to see if there is any
possibility to bid them.
Louise McKenna’s Vernon team top the league after their win over Donabate who were probably
exhausted from their long journey into Raheny and especially as there wasn’t even a drop of tea
and a sticky bun available to give them a sugar rush when they arrived. I had apologised in
advance to Leo for our lack of hospitality and he said he would bring a bottle of bubbly (for the
opposition I assume, because there was no way that he could drive all the way back to
Donabate after imbibing bubbles). I was to bring the glasses. Leo duly arrived with the bubbly,
but I didn’t bring the glasses. How inhospitable is that!!!!
The next facilitated set of matches is on Thursday the 19th in St Paul’s again with the following
match ups:
I will bring the bubbly this time and some plastic cups!