LAHORE, Aug 26: Raza Yaqoob, the former Under-17 squash champion, passed away in the wee hours of Sunday after remaining in critical condition at a local hospital for 12 days. He was 19.

Raza, who was laid to rest at the Gora Graveyard here in the afternoon, received severe head injuries in a road accident in Lahore on Aug 14, while travelling on a motorcycle with a friend.

Tipped as a good future prospect for Pakistan, Raza, who won the U-17 title in early 2006, had qualified for the final and semi-finals of several national level competitions. Raza’s grieving father told Dawn that despite limited financial resources his son never lost interest in squash. He was simply in love with the sport.

According to a spokesman of the Punjab Squash Association (PSA), “Raza was a brilliant player and the association had high hopes from him.”

The Pakistan Squash Federation and the PSA had earlier announced Rs50,000 and Rs25,000 respectively for Raza’s medical treatment.—Sports Correspondent