The 11th World Bridge Teams Olympiad begins in Maastricht tomorrow, with Ireland represented in the open, women's, seniors and universities championships.
The event, which has attracted entries from 72 countries, has a number of innovations this year. England, Scotland and Wales will each be represented separately for the first time. Tanzania and Martinique make their world debuts. The events for seniors and universities are being played for the first time.
The open championship field is divided into four groups of 18. Each team will play a complete round robin within its group, with two from each group going forward to the quarter-finals.
Ireland's best chance for success appears to rest with the open team of Tom Hanlon, Rochfort bridge; Hugh McGann, Fermoy; Gay Keaveney, Rory Timlin, both Galway; Rory Boland, Cork, and Niall Toibin, Wexford, with Hastings Campbell, Belfast, as non-playing captain. The same squad won this year's home international championship for the Camrose Trophy.
Hanlon, Keaveney and Timlin, along with John Farrell, Dublin, have reached the quarter-finals of the World Internet Championships after winning through western Europe.
Ireland's stiffest opposition in the group will come from Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Pakistan and Poland. The provisional draw for round one has Ireland facing Croatia, who beat us in the European championships in Malta last year.
The Irish women's team comprises Pat MacMahon, Pat Ryan, Helen Carroll, Jill Kulchycky, Helen Holman and Carol McCarthy, with Terry Walsh as non-playing captain. All the team members are Dublin-based. Inexperienced, they have nothing to lose and should get off to a good start as the provisional draw puts them against Tunisia, a nation with little background in the game.
The women's teams are in two groups of 21, the first four from each group going forward. Ireland's group includes Austria, Denmark, England, Israel, Italy and the US.
Ireland's seniors - over 55 - team is Joe MacHale, Alex Montwill, Pat Barry, David Jackson, John O'Keeffe, all from Dublin, and Greer McKenzie, Portadown. Although the team lacks match practice and includes one new partnership - O'Keeffe and McKenzie - the members are all former full internationals and are expected to acquit themselves well in a competition where the standard is only marginally below that of the open championship. Ireland's representation in Maastricht is completed by a team from University College Cork, which competes in the first world university event. The form of Cynthia Heffron, Elaine McMahon, Sean O'Sullivan, Neville Pierce, Paul Cotter and James Greenham is difficult to assess in relation to that of their rivals. Their presence in Maastricht is an investment for the future. It is not long since Hugh McGann, now a world-class player, represented the same university.
The Irish Times will carry regular reports from Maastricht