March 18, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1429

LAHORE, March 17: Police will lock horns with Wapda in the 43rd national volleyball championship final after both won their semi-final matches against Pakistan Army and NWFP respectively at the Wapda Sports Complex on Monday.

Underdogs Police shocked the Army, the defending champions, 3-1 in the first semi-final while Wapda thrashed NWFP in the second pre-final.

The Police completed the victory against the title defenders with set scores 25-21, 24-26, 25-19, 25-23 in 85 minutes through combined efforts and better planning.

Naseer Ahmed, who is playing in Dubai’s league, was the top performer from the Police side with his all-round performance while Mohammad Zaman, Sajid Iqbal and Mohib Rasool extended considerable support to Naseer.

The Army made a sluggish start, eventually losing the first set, but came back nicely by clinching the second set to make it 1-1.

While, the Police resisted hard before losing the second set, they remained on the offensive throughout the remaining two sets, ultimately sealing the fate of the match.

The eventual victors learnt quickly from their blunders they did in the second set, exposing flaws in the Army defence, and with powerful smashes and volleys completed the win.

In the other semi, meanwhile, Wapda halted NWFP’s unbeaten run in the tournament by bagging the match 3-0 comfortably with set scores 25-12, 25-19, 30-28 in 55 minutes.

After losing the first two sets, NWFP made tried hard to launch a comeback in the third set but could only take it to 30-28 before losing the set and the match.

Wapda’s key area was their strong smashing and excellent service.

Farooq Khan, Zaheer Khan and Imran Sultan were the standout performers for the winners. On the other hand, Amil Khan and Nazir Khan Jr showed their skills for NWFP.

The championship final will be played on Tuesday at 2.30pm. Prior to the final, NWFP will take on the Army in the third-position match.—Sports Reporter