KARACHI, Feb 27: Allana and Candyland are in the run to represent Pakistan in the 14th Bridge Federation of Asia and Middle East (BFAME) bridge championship after winning their respective trials semi-finals at the Aslam Bridge Hall, National Stadium on Monday evening.

The trials in which six teams from Karachi and Punjab contested are being organised to select one team.

Allana proved too good for the Lums from Lahore. They started with a carryover of plus nine Imps.

But, Lums, a team with blend of youth and experience, put up a gallant fight before bowing out.

Fancied Allana added another two Imps to their score after the first set.

Allana had Jan-e-Alam Fazli, Rehman Allana, Javed Miran, Tahir Masud, Rashid Jafer and Sarfraz Khan in their line-up.

Lums returned with a plus score and reduced the lead to six Imps only. In Segment three, Allana added another seven Imps and kept their winning strides in the last set by 17 Imps.

It was their three decades' experience which helped them in getting to the final.

In the other semi-final, Data Steel started with plus 10 Imps as carryover but Candyland reduced it to three Imps after first set.

Candyland hauled 29 Imps lead in the second set.

Data Steel resurfaced in the mainstream winning third set by 47-28, thus Candyland left with a solitary point lead.

In the last but most important set, Data Steel made a difficult game, a clean swing, which might have cost them the semi-final, but on Board 29, Hamid Mohiuddin and Ziaullah Baig landed in a very difficult diamond slam, which saved the team from the exit.Candyland added another Imp to their score forcing Data Steel to witness the finals from the sidelines.

Leading teams from across the city will battle for the honours when the three-day Karachi Cup bridge tournament commences at the Aslam Bridge Hall on Friday.—APP