KARACHI: Star-studded National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) stunned national champions PIA Whites 3-1 to land the prestigious Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup and maintain their ascendancy as top team at the Customs Preventive Service Club and Sports Complex on Friday.

Picking up from where they have left at Rawalpindi’s Army Hockey Stadium on Feb 1, the eventual champions did their department proud for the second time in a fortnight and proved that their earlier 2-0 victory over the airlines in the Chief of Army Staff Challenge Hockey Cup was not flash in the pan.

It is pertinent to mention that the two finalists — NBP and Wapda — were declared joint champions and shared trophy for six months apiece as the final of the fourth Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup could not take place due to Air Blue crash in 2010.

On the run of play, the bankers enjoyed an edge over their opponents right from the word go and kept possession of the ball most of the time.

After a couple of exchanges, they succeed to earn first penalty corner in the 10th minute and an indirect shot by Kashif Shah off Tauseeq Arshad beat custodian Imran Butt under the bar.

Umpire Munir Ahmed signalled for the goal but later on protest from PIA and after consulting another umpire Kamran Hussain, he disallowed it. Under the new rules, only scoop is allowed and not the hit and slab, he told Dawn after the match.

After the barren first quarter, Arsalan Qadir’s goal in 25th minute brought some life in the match. The NBP entered third quarter with a vigour and a brace of goals by Sibtain Raza in quick succession in the 37th and 41st minutes consolidated their position.

After conceding three goals, PIA put their act together and availed one of the five penalty corners that they earned through Kashif Ali in the 54th minute to avert the humiliation of straight defeat.

NBP’s Tariq Aziz and PIA’s Atif Mushtaq and Rana Sohail were shown green cards.

Captain of the victorious team Tauseeq received keys of the brand new Toyota GLI car from the chief guest, President Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Chaudhry Akhtar Rasool amidst applause from the crowd.

He together with Collector of Customs (preventive) S M Tariq Huda, Commander Karachi Vice Admiral Syed Arifullah Hussaini, former Collector and one of the pioneers of Customs Sports Complex, Khalil Masood, presented the glittering trophy and gold medals to the members of the NBP team.

One of the major sponsors, Dr Junaid Ali Shah, awarded a cheque of Rs 500,000 to the runner-up PIA outfit, besides the trophy and silver medals.

Arsalan Qadir of NBP received Man of the Match award of Rs 50,000. He was also declared top scorer of the tournament with a tally of 10 goals.

The Best Player of the Tournament award went to PIA’s Kashif Ali while Best goalkeeper award was clinched by Amjad Ali of NBP. Railways team was awarded the Fair Play trophy.

Former Olympian Islahuddin Siddiqui conducted the presentation ceremony which was attended among others by PHF secretary Rana Mujahid, Chief Collector M. Nazim Saleem, Additional Collector Shafqat Niazi, Dr Asma Shah, Samiullah, Hasan Sardar, Hanif Khan, Waseem Feroz, Iftikhar Syed, Mansoor Ahmed, Shahid Ali Khan, KHA secretary Farooq Khan, Shafiq and Masood-ur-Rehman.

In his breef speech, the PHF chief called upon the government and commercial organisations to follow suit of the Chief of the Army Staff Challenge Hockey Cup and Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup.

“A collective effort is required from all spheres of life in the bid to regain World Cup and glorious past,” he added. “It’s time the nation woke up to join hands with the PHF and bring the game out of the present crisis.”

Tariq Huda expressed his optimism that the Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup instituted by Customs in 1955, which has been revived, will be an annual feature now.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play