We had great news over the weekend when our Bodley team won promotion to the BEA Cup with a narrow 3–2 victory in their playoff match against Balbriggan. It was a very hard-fought contest and a close-run thing, but in the end we managed to get over the line.
The Balbriggan side had cleverly reshuffled their board order, placing their strongest player—undefeated all season—on Board 3. It was an astute tactic, but our own Board 3, Óisín Duignan, was equal to the task and secured a crucial win. Victories by Joe Hackett and Das Tanmoy on the top two boards then clinched the promotion for us.
Our team comprised:
- Joe Hackett (Board 1)
- Das Tanmoy (Board 2)
- Óisín Duignan (Board 3)
- Brian Dunnion (Board 4)
- David McIver (Board 5)
Chris Drucker and our diligent captain, Richard Daly, also made vital contributions in earlier matches and deserve special mention.
This fantastic achievement by the Bodley team completes a superb league season for us, alongside the promotion of our Heidenfeld team. We look forward with confidence to the performances of both squads in their higher divisions next season—and to our Ennis team, which strongly challenged for promotion in its division at one stage.
We have recruited a number of strong, ambitious players over the off-season; they will only strengthen our prospects as we prepare for the challenges ahead.
