February 07, 2007	Wednesday	Muharram 18, 1428

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LAHORE, Feb 6: Seven-goal Hissam Ali Hyder, put Pakistan Team in the semi-final of the National Polo Championship for the Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup crushing Lindt Chocolate 11-3 in the crucial Pool 'B" match on Tuesday.

The winners's defeat could have put them in a three-team contest for the semi-final berth along with Soneri Bank and the losers of the match. But Hissam's fine marksmanship helped the Pakistan Team earn a fantastic win.

Pakistan Team play against Motorola on Thursday in the pre-final.

The defending champions Bank Alfalah meet GSK/Diamond Paints in the second semi-final on the same day.

Hissam gave his team a fine start giving them a 2-0 lead in the first chukker by scoring on field attempts.

The winners forged ahead in the second chukker increasing the lead 6-0 with three-goal Raja Samiullah pumping in back-to-back goals while Saqib Khan Khakwani and Hissam struck one each.

Lindt Chocolate showed their presence in the third chukker as Gerardo Mazzini fired two goals in a row to reduce the lead 6-2.

The winners consolidated the lead 8-3 as Hissam netted his fourth goal while Samiullah his third. Hamid Ali Manan contributed one goal for the losers.

The fifth and final chukker was dominated by Hissam, who struck three goals to complete the tally.

In three other matches of the day, Bank Alfalah defeated Team-A 9-7.

For the winners, Martin Inchauspe scored six while Abdul Haseeb Mehta (2) and Faaiz Rahim Khan (1) were the other scorers.

For the losers, Eduardo Zorrilla was the main rival for the winners, scoring six goals. Ahmad Nawaz Tiwana chipped in with a goal.

ABN Amro/ASC trounced Master Paints 10-7 with Sattar Niazi, stealing the show with a tally of six goals. Shah Shamyl Alam scored the remaining four.

For the losers, Sufi Mohammad Aamir scored three while Sufi Mohammad Haris added two. Ashfaq and Pablo Bagnardi added one each.