The Orbis World Bridge Championship held in Bermuda has been hailed as one of the most successful and best organised competitions the sport has ever seen.

The two-week long championship at the Fairmont Southampton Pincess Hotel drew to a close on Friday with a glittering awards ceremony.

Melanie Feller-O'Neill, an assistant to the organisers, said: "It was phenomenal, a definite success.

"From what I've heard, it has been one of the best organised yet. Many veteran players have stated that this tournament was the best-ever World Championship. Everything from the organisation to the volunteers ran smoothly.'' The only hiccup in the tournament appears to have been the brief appearance of the world's most famous bridge player, film star Omar Sharif. The Egyptian reportedly stormed out after having a row with his playing partner.

The United States first team clinched the biggest prize in the sport, the Bermuda Bowl.

USA 1 beat Brazil and USA 11 into second and third prize respectively, while the Netherlands ladies team scored a close victory over USA 1 to take the Venice Cup, with Denmark in third.

The women's final was described by organisers as the most thrilling ever. A packed audience stayed till past 11 pm on Thursday to watch the final hand on VuGraph as the Netherlands, whose early lead was whittled away by USA 1, hung on to win by less than half a point after 128 hands.

Organiser Edna Clay said it was "a dream result since this exciting match will be reported all over the world. Meanwhile, the tournament desk is being swamped with congratulatory messages pouring in for the victorious Dutch team''.

The Bermuda ladies team will be satisfied with the result, since they beat the Dutch team in the round-robin.

Governor Thorold Masefield and the president of the World Bridge Federation Jose Damiani handed out the prizes at the victory banquet on Friday night.

Other guests of honour included Tourism Minister David Allen, the chairman of Orbis Investment Management Allan Gray, and the president of the Bermuda Bridge Federation Sheena Rayner.

Mr. Gray, whose company spent $1 million sponsoring the event, said Orbis was delighted to celebrate its 10th anniversary by doing something for Bermuda.

The World Bridge Federation, the Bermuda Bridge Federation and the players expressed their thanks to Orbis.