LAHORE: Two goals by international Abu Bakr helped National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) edge out Wapda 2-1 in the 64th National Hockey Championship final at the People’s Hockey Stadium in Sukkur on Sunday.

While Abu Bakr recorded the brace for the winners, Qasim scored for Wapda in the gruelling final.

Drag-flicker Abu Bakr put his team ahead with a penalty-corner conversion in the 13th minute. The lead didn’t last long as Wapda’s Qasim equalised within six minutes, also via a short corner as the scoreline showed 1-1 on half-time.

Two minutes into the second half, NBP salvaged the lead, again through a penalty-corner from Abu Bakr. And the strike proved the last goal of the decider.

Earlier in the third-position match, SSGC blanked Navy 3-0 with Rana Sohail (2) and Zeeshan Bukhari (1) scoring the goals.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2018