Brendan O’Donoghue won the RIBSA Classic on Sunday to claim the first ranking event on the season at the Ivy Rooms in Carlow.

By beating TJ Dowling in the final 4-1, O’Donoghue recorded his third straight victory following successes in the final ranker of the last campaign followed by the National Championship in May.
A total of 67 players took part in the tournament, a notable increase on recent seasons – especially the 2014/15 campaign which averaged only around 40.
A significant reason for that was the fact that half the players’ entry fee was previously withheld for international trips, but now the full payment is pumped back into the prize fund for each competition.
This is probably one of the reasons why the likes of Dowling and David Hogan, who reached the semi-finals, made their return and the circuit is much the better for it.
Jonathon Williams also came back after a year in China but was knocked out in the last 16 by Hogan.
The ‘Sniper’ will be giving his account of the weekend’s action within the next day or two, so keep you eye out for that.