By Stephen Helliwell
James Senior and Abby Burke were the champions of the Halifax Association's Michael Telford Pairs at Hill Crest on Sunday. They won the first prize, sponsored by Brian and Madeline Hildred, with a convincing 15-1 victory in the final against Ben Halliday and Becky Woodhead.
Senior and Burke had a thrilling start to the competition, taking a 12-3 lead against S. Robinson and K. Lund,
but they faced a remarkable comeback by their opponents, who went ahead by 14-13 before Senior and Burke managed to score the last two points and win by 15-14. Their next game was more comfortable as they dominated Matt Bowe and Nicky Conway and won by 15-2 to reach the semi-final. In the semi-final, they showed their class again, leading by 11-2 against Lyndon Harris and June Gaukroger and eventually winning by 15-7.
Halliday and Woodhead also had an impressive start, allowing only 6 points in their first two games, winning by 15-4 against Gary Jackson and Annice Copley and by 15-2 against Julie King and Peter Stead. In their quarter-final, they were behind by 9-3 before scoring 12 points in a row to win by 15-9 against Martin Greenwood and Tracie Atkinson. In their semi-final, they met the formidable duo of Brendan Malone and Cathie Ness and, after a close start that saw them leading by 5-3, they took control with a run of nine points and went on to win by 15-7.
The final was more competitive than the final score might suggest. Most ends were tightly contested and decided by small margins with Senior and Burke just having the edge. They finished as they had started, winning with a run of 11 points to claim the Michael Trophy by 15-1.
Pictured from left to Right Madeline Hildred, James Senior, Abby Burke & Association tresurer John Beard.