For Canadian player Junior “Machine” Roberts and Chris Barnard, from Rugby in the UK, last night’s Beer Pong Challenge was most definitely their Craic Den Main Event.
As reigning champions from 2025, the pair had been eagerly awaiting this year’s Beer Pong Night and had thrown down the gauntlet to all 2026 contenders, backed by an Irish Open-donated bounty of two €100 merch shop gift vouchers.
As it happens, Roberts and Barnard came close to back-to-back victory. Team after team was vanquished at their hands and they were delighted to make it to the 2026 final.
However, nothing prepared them for the crack lobbing of Team The Boys are Back in Town – comprising PokerStars Open Malta champion Scott Margereson and GUKPT Midi winner Stephen Woodhead. Roberts and Barnard fought valiantly but, in the end, they were outclassed and the coveted Beer Pong Champions’ title now passes to an all-Brit duo. In addition to the merch voucher, they also both won a ticket for the $109 Celtic Fortune Main Event at the Irish Open Afterparty online series on PokerStars which gets underway on April 12.
Roberts and Barnard, who first met last year when teetotal Roberts was trawling the Craic Den looking for a drinker to team up with. Barnard was all too happy to buddy up and – critically – agreed to do all the drinking.
After winning, Margereson (who has more than $4.5. million in live tournament winnings) said: “I have been dreaming of this. It’s one of my proudest achievements. I’m only a recreational player.”
