CNS All-Pakistan Hockey event reaches semis stage

LAHORE: National Bank, SSGC and Wapda were the first three teams to qualify for the semifinals stage of the Second Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) All Pakistan Hockey Tournament being played here at the National Hockey Stadium.

After the penultimate day of the pool games on Wednesday, these three sides are assured of the semifinal berth. SSGC and Wapda qualified from the pool B while in the pool A, National Bank have won all their three matches.

For the second slot from this pool, Navy and SNGPL will battle it out among themselves on Thursday. On the day, though the scoreline speak otherwise, SNGPL went down fighting to National Bank 1-3.

National Bank of Pakistan, the national champions with a number of internationals had their third win in as many matches. But they were fully stretched by the young Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited. The match was locked at 1-1 with just nine minutes to go. The experience prevailed in the end as the bankers scored two goals in those last minutes.

Match began at a good pace with National Bank had a bit more of the play but the SNGPL were fast on the counters. Both had chances but goal eluded either till the half time.

Up and down game quickened in the third quarter. Off a two touch indirect drill off a penalty corner, Junaid Manzoor put National Bank ahead in the 39th minute. Within five minutes, Dawood equalised with an amazing goal from a very narrow angle standing very close to the right goal line.

Then in the last quarter, National Bank managed those two goals. First on a penalty corner, Bilal Qadir, the injector, put it in on the rebound. A few minutes later, Attique Arshad had a brilliant 20 metre defence splitting run into the circle and Amir Ali standing in the mid circle tapped it into the net.

National Bank: 3 (Junaid Manzoor, Bilal Qadir & Aamir Ali) SNGPL: 1 (Dawood)In the second match of the day, SSGC routed Police by 7-1 goals margin. Sui Southern Gas Company, a fine blend of young senior and junior internationals, faced Police, a motley group of players assembled for this tournament. Game went according to script as the Gasmen marshalled the field almost throughout with well coordinated moves.

Open play chances and penalty corners came their way in numbers. Pakistan’s star drag flicker Mubashar Ali stood out with a hat trick off penalty corners. Other four were scored off field attempts. Police created only a few good chances. Their solitary goal came off a penalty corner.

SSGC: 7 (Muabshar Ali 3, Rizwan Jr, Rana Sohail, Zeeshan Bukhari, M.Rizwan) Police: 1 (Shahbaz)

In the third game of the day, Navy and hosts brush aside Port Qasim 2-0. Navy, the organisers of this event, were strengthened by the inclusion of Rashid Mahmood, a Pakistan regular since 2010. Rashid had arrived from Holland the day before.

First 10 minutes were more or less evenly played. In the last two minutes of the first quarter, Navy’s Shahbaz showing good opportunism scored twice. First, a left side move saw the ball reaching him at the top of the circle. With all the time at his disposal, Shahbaz found the target with a top of the circle hit. Moments later, he dived to connect a right side cross into the goal. The sailors, who were coming into the event after a two month fitness cum training camp at Abbottabad, remained in control of the proceedings almost throughout. They created quite a few chances but failed to add to their tally when the final hooter sounded.

NAVY 2: Shahbaz 2 (Shahbaz 2).