TORONTO, Aug 29: Pakistani players Rashid Jaffer and Sultan Siddiqui created history when they qualified for the final rounds of the World Bridge Championships’ Pair contest as America recaptured the McConnell Cup in Montreal Wednesday.

This is for the first time in country’s history a Pakistani pair qualified for the final in this particular event, team officials told newsmen. “We are delighted to be in the finals,” said a jubilant Jaffer.

He told Dawn afterwards that over 400 pairs from across the world started the pairs event two days ago and Pakistan’s entry into the finals has made all of us very happy.

Earlier, the USA won gold and silver medal in the McConnell Cup which had become an All-American affair.

Americans had won the inaugural McConnell Cup in Albuquerque in 1994 and now eight years later the trophy returned to their soil.

The All-American final saw Kerri Sanborn, Jill Meyers, Randi Montin, Irina Levitina, Lynn Deas and Beth Palmer comfortably outscore Judi Radin, Shawn Quinn, Mildred Breed, Rozanne Pollack, Hjordis Eythorsdottir and Valerie Westheimer.

In the Power Rosenblum Cup, Team Munawar of Indonesia fought its way into the final.