India edges out Pakistan 235-233 to grab BFAME Bridge Crown   
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

KARACHI: Reigning champions India retained their crown in the open team event of Peek Freans 14th Asia & Middle East Bridge Championship when they edged out Pakistan by 235-233 International Match Points (imps) after a highly exciting final at Carlton Hotel on Sunday.

Pakistan was leading by 10 imps in the penultimate deal but fancied Indian team turned the table with superb performance in thrilling finish to snatch this regional title for the fourth time in a row after winning it at Dhaka (2005), Amman (2003) and Manama, Bahrain (2001).

Indian anchor-pair Debasish Ray-Kamal Mukherji with Aloke Sadhu-Kamal Roy However kept their nerves under intense pressure to emerge winner in a sensational finish.

Barring the result of the final, both India and Pakistan have qualified for the 38th Bermuda Bowl World Bridge Championship schedule to be held in Shanghai (China) from September 29.

At the end of three segments on Saturday evening the final was locked

at 153-all and it was heading towards exciting finish and exactly the it happened in the final movements last segments.

Pakistan started smartly forging ahead in the fourth segment when they won 46-33 to remain in reckoning for the title.

Indian was kept under pressure by Pakistanis both in open and close rooms with some lovely moves. But Indian in remarkable display won the final by barest margin seizes the fifth and final frame 48-33.

While beaming Indian captain Ashok Goel was delighted with his team's triumph, he paid tributes to Pakistan team for a great fightback. "They (Pakistanis) are gentlemen and great sportsmen and winning and losing was no matter", he said.

Pakistan captain Abdul Rehman Allana was extremely disappointed to lose the final. "We came so close to win but went down fighting in the end," he maintained. "Its satisfying that we qualified for the Bermuda Bowl which was our prime objective", Allana remarked.

He said this was Pakistan’s best team and expressed the confidence that they will put in their best in the Bermuda Bowl.

Teams:

India: Ashok Goel (Captain), Kamal Mukherji, Pritihs Kushari, Debasish Ray, Aloke Sadhu,m Kamay Roy.

Pakistan: Abdul Rehman Allana (Captain), Jane Alam Fazli, Tahir Masood, Javed Miran, Rashid Jafar, Sarfraz Ahmed.●