The Irish team in the Under-21s Home Internationals for the Peggy Bayer Trophy, from left, Ben Orosz (Trim), David Hoyne (Kilkenny), Eve Connell (Navan), Isabel Burke (Galway), Klara Flanagan (Dundalk) , Tom Gorey (Kilkenny), with NPC Margaret Murphy.

Meath represented on Irish Under-21 bridge team

John Donohoe

Published: Fri 8 Mar 2024, 3:56 PM

Meath has two junior bridge players representing Ireland in the Under-21s Home Internationals for the Peggy Bayer Trophy.

Eve Connell from Navan learned bridge from her father, Martin Connell. Ben Orosz, who recently relocated to Trim from Hungary, was taught by his maths teacher back in Hungary. The other junior members all took up bridge when their schools thought them during transition year.

The Under 19 Home Internationals started in February 1990, in Cheltenham, England. The trophy was donated by the late Palmer Bayer, who also founded the Educational Trust for British Bridge, in honor of his wife Peggy.

Initially, it was the U19 championship, which later changed to U20 and then U21 to align with European age limits. In 1990, only Scotland and England participated, with Scotland emerging as the winner. Scotland also won in 1995 and 1997, but England dominated the rest of the championships except for 2010 and 2016. Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to secure a victory. The Republic of Ireland, which joined in January 1999, won for the first time in 2016.

Last month, the current Irish team participated in the Peggy Bayer Trophy Home Internationals. The team comprised Klara Flanagan (Dundalk), Eve Connell (Navan), Isabel Burke (Galway), Tom Gorey (Kilkenny), David Hoyne (Kilkenny), and Ben Orosz (Trim), with NPC Margaret Murphy.

They won eight out of their ten matches, with five victories by a significant 20-0 margin. However, despite their strong performance, they couldn't match the dominance of the English team, who won all their matches. Ireland secured a comfortable second place, with debutant Ben Orosz (Trim) standing out as the fifth-best individual performer in the Butlers rankings.

Most of the juniors will remain eligible for the next few seasons, offering them more opportunities to compete for the trophy. Nonetheless, they can be immensely proud of their performances over that weekend. There is clear evidence showing that having a parent who plays bridge is highly beneficial in encouraging juniors to pick up and continue with the game. Many of our top players today are the children of bridge players themselves.

In today's digital age, children are more likely to be drawn to bridge through online methods. However, nothing beats the guidance and support of a parent or grandparent at home, providing the best of both worlds. Some schools teach bridge to transition year students, providing them with a great foundation. If you're interested in teaching bridge to Meath TY students, contact CBAI.ie.