ISLAMABAD, June 7: Home side Habib Bank’s hopes of winning the Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship were dashed on Tuesday by Kazakhstan’s Rahat at the Liaquat Gymnasium. Needing a victory to stay in the hunt, the bankers were handed a 25-14, 25-17, 24-26, 25-16 defeat by a team that now has nine points from five matches with a game still in hand.

Rahat are in third place behind Iranian side Saipa and China’s Shanghai, both sides having played a maximum of six matches.

It was all quite easy for Saipa who flogged Uzbekistan’s Uzi Samarkand 25-15, 25-16, 25-15 while Shanghai crushed India’s Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) 25-19, 25-9, 25-19.

Bankers defeat though came as a big blow for winning the title in front of their home crowd would have provided the sport quite a boost.

After Rahat had sealed the first two sets, chances of home team’s fightback looked slim but displaying great fighting spirit, they snatched the third after an engrossing struggle. However, the hosts could not maintain that tempo in the fourth set and soon it was curtains for them.

The architects of Rahat victory were Rubtsov Anton, Imangaliyev Marat, Yudin Anton and Andreyev Yevgeniy. Bankers on the other hand banked largely on Ehsanullah Tipu, Sanaullah Khan, Kashif Mansoor and captain Irfan Nawaz.

Results: Saipa (Iran) bt Uzi Samarkand (Uzbekistan) 25-15, 25-16, 25-15, Shanghai (China) bt HSIDC (India) 25-19, 25-9, 25-19, Rahat (Kazakhstan) bt Habib Bank (Pakistan) 25-14, 25-17, 24-26, 25-16.

Fixtures for Wednesday: Samsom (Thailand) v Rahat (Kazakhstan), Habib Bank (Pakistan) v HSIDC (India).

Points table after Tuesday’s matches (tabulate as played, won lost, points) Saipa 6-5-1-11; Shanghai 6-4-2-10, Rahat 5-4-1-9, Habib Bank 5-3- 2-8, Uzi Samarkand 6-1-5-7, Samsom 5-1-4-6, HSIDC 5-1-4-6.