January 26, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 16, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 25: The regional preliminary qualifying round of National Hockey Championship will start at the Hockey Club of Pakistan on Saturday with several underdogs fighting for the top four slots.

The qualifying round for Sindh and Balochistan will see teams from Zhob, Mirpurkhas, Sibi, Makran, Naseerabad, Larkana, Loralai and Kalat where hockey virtually doesn’t exist.

Among the other 13 teams taking part will be two Karachi outfits — Colours and Whites — Quetta, Sukkur, and Hyderabad.

Usually in the past, some Olympians used to be part of the selection of the Karachi teams, but this year individuals or officials, without much hockey background, selected the two local sides.

Interestingly, the president of a foreign bank, Mansoor M. Khan, has been chosen by the Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) as chairman of the organising committee, while KHA president Munawwar Baseer has been snubbed.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) will be organising regional rounds for departments in Peshawar and for NWFP, Punjab and Azad Kashmir in Faisalabad.

Eight teams from Peshawar and four each from Karachi and Faisalabad will qualify for the main round which is scheduled from Feb 5 in Peshawar.

Pools:

Pool ‘A’: Karachi Colours, Sibi, Zhob, Makran.

Pool ‘B’: Karachi Whites, Mirpurkhas, Naseerabad.

Pool ‘C’: Quetta, Larkana, Sukkur.

Pool ‘D’: Hyderabad, Loralai, Kalat.

Schedule:

Jan 26: Zhob v Sibi at 9.30am; Mirpurkhas v Naseerabad at 11.15am; Quetta v Sukkur at 2.00pm; Karachi Colours v Makran at 3.30pm.

Jan 27: Makran v Sibi at 9.30am; Karachi Whites v Naseerabad at 11.15am; Karachi Colours v Zhob at 2.00pm; Hyderabad v Kalat at 3.30pm.

Jan 28: Kalat v Loralai at 12.30pm; Larkana v Sukkur at 2.00pm; Karachi Whites v Mirpurkhas at 3.30pm.

Jan 29: Hyderabad v Loralai at 9.30am; Zhob v Makran at 11.15am; Karachi Colours v Sibi at 2.0pm; Larkana v Quetta at 3.30pm.

Jan 30 and 31: Classification matches.