National Jr Hockey C’ship: Punjab A, KP, Army A make winning start

LAHORE: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab A, MPCL, Army A, Wapda, Port Qasim and Sindh registered victories against their respective teams on the opening day of the 36th National Junior Hockey Championship that started here at National Hockey Stadium Lahore on Thursday.

On day one, seven matches were played in which, KP defeated Army B 1-0, Punjab (A) beat Islamabad 5-0, MPCL beat AJK 17-0, Army (A) beta Punjab (B) 10-0, Wapda beat Punjab (D) 12-1, Port Qasim beat Balochistan 6-2 and Sindh (B) beat Gilgit 15-0.

Punjab Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Tourism Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti inaugurated the 36th National Junior Hockey Championship at National Hockey Stadium on Thursday. President Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Brig (retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar, Secretary PHF Asif Bajwa, Chief Selector Manzoor Junior and other officials were also present on this occasion.

Punjab Minister for Sports, who was the chief guest of the opening ceremony, was also introduced with participating teams on this occasion. While talking to media, Taimoor said it is nice to see that junior championship is being organised after a gap of three years. “Definitely, the championship is a good opportunity for young players. The youngsters must avail this opportunity and remove the flaws of their game”.

Taimoor said: “Hockey is our national game and we are aware of its importance. It is true that Pakistan is passing through a struggling period but we are quite confident that Pakistan will overcome its slump in hockey in near future”.

PHF chief Khalid Sajjad Khokhar thanked Taimoor for extending valuable cooperation for the holding the championship.