Family fun is the winner at Alpha event

The event gave the younger members of the family a rare opportunity to team up with their parents and to play a competitive match with or against other members of their family.

For many the Family Fun Christmas Tournament is the pipe-opener to the Christmas festivities at the popular Lisburn venue and is traditionally one of the most enjoyable competitions in the club’s calendar with the child and grandchild events taking pride of place.

In a number of high profile cases at the event, not an inch was given particularly in the clash between Michael Turkington who was partnering Rory Comer against Valerie Turkington and Laura Comer.

It was a close one but the boys eventually came out on top in the final.

It had not been all plain sailing for Michael and Rory in the early group stage though.

Emma and Kent Smith only lost one game in their section and that was the clash against the eventual winners which they lost 21-16 while matches against Sophie and Sandra Orr and recently appointed Alpha President Graham Henderson who teamed up with daughter Emma pushed their opponents all the way.

In the second group Laura and Valerie edged through to the final with only one point separating them from Daniel and Stephen Orr and the former only secured their passage through with a 21-20 victory in the all-important clash between the pairs.

The competition for a place in the final could not have been greater. As many as three pairs Jack and Pamela McElhinney, Reuben and Nick Conway and Katie and Clare Henderson were all locked on 52 points each in the group stage.

Jack and Pamela eventually saw off Jeff and Zoe Kearon in a close final after having secured their place in the decider by virtue of having conceded fewer points.

Dan and Kent Smith came out on top in their final, beating Olivia Daly and Philip Moneypenny.