The first billiards tournament of the new season was played at the Ivy Rooms Carlow on Sunday 23 September. A new format was tried with matches being best of nine 50 up games and it included a handicap system allowing some players up to three games start. Scratch players dominated the event and four of them filled the semi-final places. In the first of these matches, Aidan Murray had an easy 5-1 win over Larry Drennan, but Irish Champion, Eugene Hughes, was made to fight harder for his place in the final with a 5-3 win over Phil Martin. The final was the best match of the day with Eugene getting a flyer, winning the first two games, but Aidan then won the next two, the second of these in a single visit to the table. The players shared the next two games before Aidan produced two 40+ breaks to take the next two and win 5-3.