LAHORE, May 3 Data Steel and Solox qualified for the National Bridge Championship final after winning their respective semi-finals at the Lahore Gymkhana Club here on Monday.

The significant feature of this grand event, which also serves as national trials, is that the winning team besides being crowned national champions will also represent Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi in October.

As for the competition itself, the first semi-final between Data Steel and Giants was not adequately combative and while the Data Steel team were dauntless and daring, the Giants team players failed to sparkle and conceded defeat virtually midway after 48 of the 64 boards had been played with Data Steel at 160 points against 70 of the Giants.

Data Steel comprised Tariq Rasheed Khan, Rashid-ul-Ghazi, Tahir Masood, Javed Miran, M. Saeed Akhter, Javed Khalid and Tehsin Gheewala while Giants were made of Masood Mazhar, Mirza Shauq Hussain, Mohammed Mubashir Puri, Hamed Mohiuddin and Asfandyar Shauq.

In the other semi-final, Solox defeated Prempters by 185-117 match points.

While the Prempters consisted of Jahangir Ahmed, Farrukh Liaqat, Izzat Khalil, Abdul Rehman Allana and Jan-e-Alam Fazli, they matched expertise and wits against Solox comprising Gulzar A. Bilal, Khalid Mohiuddin, Ghulam Mohammed and Anwar Mumtaz Kizilbash.

Solox were certainly in the driving seat yesterday and galloped serenely into the final through unremitting brilliance.

Somehow, the top team - after the first three days - failed to dazzle and the resolve demonstrated in the pre semi-final effort had fizzled away.

Throughout the semi-final, Solox reflected enthusiasm undiminished and at times their effort looked awesome.