KARACHI, Jan 31: Reigning champions Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) got a timely wakeup call when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Pakistan Police on the final day of the league matches in the Habib Bank Junior Under-18 National hockey championship at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Thursday.

PTCL, the title favourites, conceded a fourth minute goal and took 46 minutes to share points with Police. Both the teams had already qualified for the quarterfinals but PTCL topped from Pool A on better goal difference to set up a quarterfinal clash with Railways scheduled for Friday at 2.15pm.

Police, who finished runners-up, will take on Sindh ‘A’ on Saturday.

In the other match of the day, Punjab ‘A’ lost to National Bank 2-0 but still reached the next round. Punjab’s better goal difference came to their rescue after they were tied with Sindh ‘B’ on four points.

Punjab will meet Pakistan Army in the second quarter-final on Friday at 3.45pm. National Bank will play Pakistan Education Board (PEB) in the fourth quarter-final on Saturday.

PTCL and Police were engaged in a 1-all draw. But both the teams put up a below-par and lacklustre performance. Most of the action was confined to mid-field as none looked interested in scoring goals.

Arif Mahmood put Police into lead in the fourth minute. But the early goal too couldn’t produce the spark to increase the momentum of play.

PTCL finally salvaged their pride when Akhtar Ali converted the seventh penalty corner in the 50th minute.

The evening session game between NBP and Punjab ‘A’ was a match of contrasting strategies. National Bank, already guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals, remained aggressive while Punjab ‘A’, needing a draw or defeat by not more than a difference of nine goals, contended by strengthening their defence in a bid to concede lesser goals.

Not surprisingly, National Bank kept more possession of the ball and also made more regular inroads in Punjab’s danger area only to be denied a goal by the vigilant Punjab defenders.

Punjab forwards made occasionally raided but wasted a few golden goal scoring opportunities by either hanging the ball or misfiring the shots.

NBP squandered eight penalty corners while Punjab failed to capitalize from eight penalty corners.

The bankers grabbed the lead in the 18th minute when Owais Moeed sounded the board with an exquisite angular shot after receiving a timely pass from the right from Mohammad Naeem Akhtar.

NBP got their second goal in the 68th minute when Javed Iqbal dribbled past three defenders and then scooped the ball past a charging goalkeeper.

Points table

Tabulated under played, won, lost, drawn, goals for, goals against and points.

GROUP A