August 21, 2002	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Saani 11,1423

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MONTREAL, Aug. 20: A five-member Pakistan team flew in here Monday night as US players dominate the 11th World Bridge Championships currently in progress here.

With eight pairs in the top ten, the USA is having edge in the final of the World Mixed Pairs event. Perhaps that is not so surprising given that America has supplied almost half the 182 pairs who are contesting the final.

After the first session Becky Rogers and Jeff Meckstroth hold a narrow lead over Judi Radin and Zia Mahmood, a Pakistani American. France’s Elizabeth Hugon and Jean Jacques Palau are a close third and those three pairs have a little daylight between themselves and the next three pairs, Beth Palmer and Steve Robinson, Sally and Kit Woolsey, both of USA and China’s Yu Zhang and Shaolin Sun.

With so many great players in the field and two sessions to play today, no one is counting their chickens, but it will be no surprise if the winners prove to be one of these six pairs.

Meanwhile, the Pakistanis, who reached here after 30-hour long journey will make their appearance Tuesday in Round Robin League of Power Rosenblum Cup. The Pakistan team is comprising Abdul Rahman Allana (non-playing captain), Jan-e-Alam, Rashid Jaffer, Nishat Abidi and Sultan Siddiqui.

Jan-e-Alam, one of the senior players, told Dawn that the team members were tired and would be playing tomorrow and hoped that the team was hoping to do better in the later matches which were being contested on league basis.