[DenisO]

Any ideas on how Ireland have suddenly come to stardom. At the 2004 European Championships in Malmo they finished 28th, yet a year later with a brand new team they reached the last 8 of the Olympiad and now they've just won the silver medal in Warsaw, which included one of Italy's rare defeats. They've also won the Camrose Trophy for the last two years and as holders will be fielding two teams under a new format. It seems remarkable for a small country with a population of less than 5 million.

[Walddk]

Yes, amazing performance by such a small country. And then Denis even forgot to mention that two of the pairs, Hanlon - McGann and Garvey - Carroll, are back-to-back winners of the Lederer Memorial Trophy with top teams from England and abroad (Zia, Sabine Auken, etc.).

The next version of that event will be held on October 28 & 29 in London (live vugraph broadcast on BBO).

When the team travels to Shanghai next autumn for the Bermuda Bowl, it will be the first time that Ireland is represented in the most prestigious tournament in the world.

I am told that 80 fans turned up at Dublin International Airport to welcome the team back from Warsaw and congratulate the players on their exceptional performance.

In this context, it is also in order to congratulate three other small countries: Norway, Denmark and Croatia. Bronze medal and a Bermuda Bowl berth to Norway, 5th and 6th place to the Danish and Croatian women (berths in the Venice Cup), and a spot for the Danish seniors who finished 4th.

The population of those three nations is (roughly):

Norway (huge in size, small in population): 4.6 million, Croatia: 4.5 million and Denmark: 5.4 million.

Norway and Denmark have been there a few times before, whereas it will be the first time that the relatively new country of Croatia (independence in 1991) has qualified for the World Championships.

Roland

[the saint]

From what I understand (friend of a friend with the team), its a repitition of what we have seen several times before in Bridge. Pick a core squad, keep them together for a few years, work hard. Get the results at the end of it.

This weekend I was helping at an Under 20 International between England, Scotland and Holland. We were using the deals from the 2003 Camrose match between Ireland and England. England won all 3 30 board matches, 2 of them by landslides. That took place 3 and a half years ago. The improvement has been palpable. Now Ireland look like the dominant force in the Camrose series.

[glen]

DenisO said:

...yet a year later with a brand new team...

the saint said:

Pick a core squad, keep them together for a few years, work hard.

Seems picking the right core is necessary.