Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Rana Matloob Ahmad emerged triumphant at the 42nd Punjab Open Golf Championship, hosted by the Punjab Golf Association. Matloob claimed the coveted Champions Title with a stellar performance, finishing with an impressive score of 208, eight under par after a challenging 54-hole stroke play competition.In the Amateur category, Salman showcased remarkable prowess, securing the Amateur Trophy with a score of 6 over par. The competition was intense, with Nouman Ilyas initially leading after the first two rounds, underscoring the high level of talent and competitive spirit in the tournament.The ladies' division saw Humna Amjad emerge as the Punjab Ladies Champion, adding another feather to her cap and contributing to the growing list of accomplishments in her promising golfing career.In addition to the main events, the 42nd Punjab Open Golf Championship featured a 36-hole competition for Senior Amateur Men and Amateur Ladies Cat II. Umair Butt and Minaa Zainab stood out as the gross winners in their respective categories, showcasing exceptional golfing abilities and sportsmanship.The Lahore Garrison Greens Golf Club, with its pristine greens and top-notch facilities, provided the perfect backdrop for this highly anticipated championship. The tournament served as a platform for golf enthusiasts to come together and celebrate the spirit of the sport, highlighting the thriving golfing community in Lahore and Punjab.The organizers extend their heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and participants for their outstanding performances. The success of the championship is a testament to the Punjab Golf Association's commitment to promoting and nurturing golf talent in the Province. 

India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to participate in the fixture in the UAESports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) announced a 15-man national team for a Tri-Nation Series, which will be played at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Academy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).According to an official of PBCC, besides Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka will take part in the tournament, which will get underway from February 21, 2024. PBCC revealed the team after the approval of Syed Sultan Shah Chairman of PBCC.Names of players: Zafar Iqbal, Riasat Khan, Mohammad Shahzaib, Fakhar Abbas, Mohammad Salman (B1), Nisar Ali (Captain), Badar Munir (Vice Captain), Shahzeb Haider, Moain Aslam, Babar Ali (B2), Matiullah, Mohammad Rashid, Mohammad Safdar, Kamran Akhter, Akmal Hayyat (B3).Team Officials: Mohammad Jameel (Head Coach), Tahir Mehmood Butt (Trainer). 

Billings and Raza lead Dubai Capitals to a spectacular run-chase win over ADKRSports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Dubai Capitals’ Sam Billings and Sikandar Raza produced a clinical run chase to register a five-wicket win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ABKR) in the eighth match of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Dubai International Stadium. Chasing Knight Riders’ impressive total of 183 for 4 in 20 overs, Billings cracked an elegant 67 off 35 balls with nine boundaries and one six, well-backed by Sikandar Raza who scored 43 off 29 balls with five boundaries, to win the match with 23 balls to spare. The pair put on a 109 runs partnership off 59 balls for the fourth wicket.None expected Dubai Capitals to record such a comfortable win after Knight Riders’ impressive batting show lead by Sam Hain and Laurie Evans. They had put on a 131-run partnership in 78 balls for the fourth wicket. Hain scored 77 runs off 49 balls with eight boundaries and two sixes. Evans hit an unbeaten 67 off 41 balls with six boundaries and two sixes. Dubai Capitals were faced with the challenge of having to score at a run rate of 9.15. They also lost their skipper and star batsman David Warner to the second ball of the first over for a duck, trapped leg before by David Willey. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz too would have gone for a duck had Andre Russell not dropped an easy catch at long-on off Imad Wasim. Jake Fraser-McGurk then hit Wasim for two successive sixes and Willey for consecutive sixes. But Russell ended his innings forcing him to top edge a pull shot for a return catch for 41. Sunil Narine removed Gurbaz edging to wicketkeeper Gous for 21.Sam Billings and Raza took the score past the 100-run mark in 8.2 overs. By the half way mark, the pair made the target gettable with 64 runs needed to win. Billings reached his half century in 27 balls. He fell at the score of 67 caught by Evans at long-on off Narine. Raza followed seven runs short of his half century, caught and bowled to a leading edge when Capitals needed only four runs to win. Earlier, Capitals, who had lost their last match to Sharjah Warriors, won the toss and elected to bowl. Knight Riders, who were bowled out for just 95 runs in their previous match by MI Emirates, began on a shaky note through a double strike from Dushmantha Chameera. Andries Gous got clean bowled to Dushmantha Chameera for 4 while one-drop Michael Pepper edged to wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 4. Hain went for his shots but opener Alishan Sharafu hit Roelof van der Merwe straight to Sam Billings at mid-wicket for 15 in the seventh over. Laurie Evans and Hain took the score to 75 for 3 by the half way mark. Jason Holder got smashed for 18 runs in in the 13th over with Evans hitting two boundaries and a six off successive balls. Evans reached his half century in 28 balls. Hain too reached his half century in 37 balls. They recorded their 100 runs partnership in 66 balls. Holder ended Hain’s knock with the second ball of the last over forcing him to hit straight to Sikandar Raza at extra over. Brief scores: Dubai Capitals bt Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by 5 wkts. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 183 for 4 in 20 overs (Sam Hain 77, Laurie Evans 67, Dushmantha Chameera 2 for 35) Dubai Capitals 185 for 5 in 16.1 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 21, Jake Fraser-McGurk 41, Sam Billings 67, Sikandar Raza 43, David Willey 2 for 44, Sunil Narine 2 for 23).

Lahore (Press Release): Rijas Polo/Master Paints triumphed over HN Polo with a 7-4 victory, securing their place in the subsidiary final of the 11th Corps Commander Polo Cup 2024, sponsored by Alfalah Investment and Abhi Investment, here at Jinnah Polo Fields.The match, held on Thursday, drew a significant crowd of families and polo enthusiasts eager to witness the high-stakes competition. Amirreza Behboudi led the charge for Rijas Polo/Master Paints with an impressive tally of six goals, while teammate Bilal Hayat Noon added another to their score. HN Polo put up a strong fight, with Mumtaz Abbas Niazi netting two goals, and Raja Samiullah and Babar Naseem contributing one goal each. The match commenced with Rijas Polo/Master Paints taking an early lead in the first chukker. However, HN Polo quickly responded with two consecutive goals, briefly overtaking the lead before Rijas/Master Paints leveled the score at 2-2 at the close of the second chukker. The third chukker saw both teams displaying remarkable skills and resilience, each scoring two goals and bringing the score to a nail-biting 4-4. In the critical moments of the chukker, Rijas/Master Paints edged ahead with a crucial field goal, gaining a slender 5-4 advantage. The final and decisive chukker was dominated by Rijas Polo/Master Paints. Their relentless attack resulted in two back-to-back goals, sealing their victory at 7-4. The match was officiated by field umpires Raja Temur Nadeem and Raja Mikael Sami, adding to the professional atmosphere of the tournament.  

Sports Bulletin ReportGUJRANWALA: Lahore Blinds Cricket Team defeated Bahawalpur by 59 runs in the final of the Gujranwala Blinds’ Cricket T20 Tournament here at Jinnah Cricket Stadium Gujranwala on Thursday. Badar Munir got Man of the Match award.In the morning, Bahawalpur won the toss and asked Lahore to take guard. Lahore set a mammoth total of 229 runs on the board for the loss of 5 wickets in their stipulated 20 overs. Badar Munir once again shined with the bat, and he scored an unbeaten 163 runs off 74 balls featuring 6 sixes and 16 fours. Babar Ali took 2 wickets for Bahawalpur. In reply, Bahawalpur was restricted to 170 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the allotted quota of 20 overs. Moain Aslam was their top scorer with 64 runs off 36 balls and Zafar Iqbal made 26 runs off 19 balls. Farhan Ullah took 2 wickets while Badar and Rizwan shared 1 wicket each.Syed Sultan Shah (Chairman Pakistan Blind Cricket Council), Col. Zia ul Islam (Project Secretary, DHA Gujranwala), Col. Ahmed Raza Sial, (Director Marketing DHA Gujranwala), Khalid Minhas (Owner, Minhas Industries Gujranwala), Bilal Anayat Butt (Chairman Red Crescent Gujranwala) were the guests of the occasion and distributed the prizes amongst the players.Player of the Tournament:B1: Mohammad Salman (Lahore)B2: Israr ul Hassan (Gujranwala)B3: Mohammad Akram (Gujranwala)Best Wicket Keeper: Faizan Khattak (Islamabad)

Report: Mohammad Azam DarISLAMABAD: The University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Taxila organized the Prime Minister (PM) Youth Sports Handball Talent Hunt Program at Mirpur University Sciences and Technology (MUST) Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) under the banner of Higher Education Commission (HEC).According to an official, the men’s trials of handball were held from January 22 to 23, 2024 at the City Campus in MUST Mirpur AJK aiming to dig out young talent of handball. The talent hunt program contained extensive trials and assessments to identify the most promising male handball players.It is pertinent to mention here that more than seventy (70) players appeared in the two-day trials from Mirpur and its surrounding areas. After hectic trials and competitions showcasing the participant's skills and teamwork, the promising and budding 17 players were selected to represent the Mirpur region in the league to be announced by the HEC later on.Vice Chancellor MUST, Brig. Prof Dr. Younis Javed, SI (M) graced the occasion as chief guest, and the opening ceremony of the talent hunt was also graced by the presence of esteemed guests including Brig. Prof. Dr. Younis Javed, SI (M), Director Business School, Prof. Dr. Zafar Ahmed, Treasurer, Dr. Khalique Ahmed, Abid Hussain, Director Sports, MUST, Umer Mehmood, Secretary General, Rawalpindi Handball Association, Dawood Siddiqui and sizeable spectators. Mohammad Akmal Hussain, Director Sports, UET Taxila was the Organizing Secretary. Akmal Hussain, Organizing Secretary presented a shield to the chief guest on the occasion.Major Jehangir Ahmed, MUST University was the chief guest in the closing ceremony on 23rd January, 2024. The chief guest said that such initiatives were significant to provide opportunities to youth to excel and national and international levels in the field of sport

Netherlands, Ukraine, South Africa, and India reach in quarterfinalsSports Bulletin ReportMuscat (Oman): Netherlands, Ukraine, South Africa, and India advanced into the quarterfinals of the 1st FIH Hockey five-a-side World Cup, which got underway in Muscat, Oman on Wednesday, as 138 goals were scored in 16 encounters.Pool A: The Netherlands showed themselves to be real tournament contenders, posting two big wins to book their place in the quarter-finals. They first dismantled Fiji 14-1 with hat-tricks from Bente van der Veldt and Marloes Timmermans. The Dutch side then went on to hammer Malaysia 10-0 and, although it took them eight minutes to find a goal, they put some exquisite plays together. All of the Dutch outfield players scored at least two goals each on the day. In other matches in Pool A, Malaysia posted a solid 10-0 victory against hosts Oman, Zati Muhamad scoring four of those goals and Zafirah Aziz scoring three. Fiji came from behind and then snuck in a late goal in their 3-2 win against hosts Oman – both sides making their debuts at an FIH Hockey World Cup event. The day’s results mean Malaysia and Fiji face each other on Thursday with a spot in the quarter-finals up for grabs. POOL B: Ukraine and South Africa secured their places in the quarter-finals with two good wins each. Ukraine started with an impressive 6-3 win over Australia, Anna Tanchenko scoring a hat-trick. They then romped home 9-0 against Zambia as Karyna Leonova chalked up four goals.Meanwhile, South Africa cruised to a 9-1 victory against the side that beat them in the pool stages of their continental qualifier – Zambia. Toni Marks bagged three goals in the SA side’s opening match. They followed this up with a 6-3 win over Australia in an enthralling contest, Grace Cochrane doing sterling work in the South African goal when the match was still evenly poised.POOL C: India recorded a narrow 5-4 win over Poland in the opening pool match and then fought back with six unanswered goals in 12 minutes to beat the USA 7-3 after earlier trailing by two goals. The Indian side are now guaranteed to advance to the quarter-finals but they will be aiming to top the table when they face hosts Oman on Thursday. In their other game of the day, the USA went a goal down early against Namibia but bounced back for an easy 6-1 win, Charlotte de Vries completing her hat-trick in the first half. Poland beat Namibia 5-1 so their showdown with the USA on Thursday is for a quarter-final spot, while Namibia will play off for the lower places.POOL D: Pool D is set up for a dramatic final round in that all four teams still have a statistical chance of progressing to the quarter-finals. Uruguay look most likely to advance, having completely dominated Paraguay for a 10-1 win, with Teresa Viana bagging five goals for her team in that match. They followed this up with a clinical performance to beat New Zealand 6-1, Viana adding another two to her haul to take her to the top of the goal-scorers chart. New Zealand fought back from a goal down to defeat Thailand 4-3 earlier in the day, and Thailand prevailed 3-1 in a tight contest with Paraguay.Results (Women’s Event Day-1):Ukraine beat Australia (6-3), South Africa beat Zambia (9-1), Malaysia beat Oman (10-0), Netherlands beat Fiji (14-1), India beat Poland (5-4), USA beat Namibia (6-1), New Zealand beat Thailand (4-3), Uruguay beat Paraguay (10-1), Ukraine beat Zambia (9-1), South Africa beat Australia (6-3), Netherlands beat Malaysia (10-0), Fiji beat Oman (3-2), Poland beat Namibia (5-1), India beat USA (7-3), Thailand beat Paraguay (3-1), Uruguay beat New Zealand (6-1).

LAHORE (Press Release): The Jinnah Polo Fields were abuzz with excitement as the second day of the prestigious 11th Corps Commander Polo Cup 2024, sponsored by Alfalah Investment and Abhi Investment, witnessed three enthralling matches. The opening match set a high standard for the day, with FG/Din Polo demonstrating remarkable skill and strategy to secure an 8-3½ victory over HN Polo Team. The star of the match, Juan Cruz Greguol, led FG/Din Polo with an exceptional display of mallet handling and pony maneuvering, contributing an impressive five goals. His teammates Shaikh Raffay and Shaikh Farhad also made significant contributions with two and one goal respectively. HN Polo Team, benefiting from a half goal handicap, saw Raja Samiullah, Haider Naseem, and Babar Naseem each scoring a goal. The day's second encounter featured an intense battle between DS Polo and Rijas Polo/Master Paints, culminating in a 9-6½ triumph for DS Polo. Bilal Haye emerged as the match's standout performer, delivering a remarkable five goals. Ahmed Ali Tiwana also played a key role in the victory, scoring twice. Despite their half goal handicap advantage and Amirreza Behboudi's four-goal contribution alongside Sufi Mohammad Haroon's two goals, Rijas Polo/Master Paints ultimately fell short. The final match of the day was a closely contested affair, with Master Paints/Newage Cables narrowly defeating Diamond Paints 3½-3. Hamza Mawaz Khan was the linchpin of his team’s success, scoring all three goals for Master Paints/Newage Cables. Diamond Paints put up a strong fight with Raja Temur Nadeem scoring twice and Saqib Khan Khakwani adding another goal, but it wasn't enough to clinch a win for their team. 

Sports Bulletin ReportAbu Dhabi (UAE);  Through an enthralling display of bowling prowess, MI Emirates skittled out Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for 95 runs in 14.1 overs to record a resounding nine-wicket win in the sixth match of the DP World ILT20 Season 2 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. Trent Boult (3 for 14) wiped away the cream of the Knight Riders’ batting backed by Akeal Hosein with two wickets for 21 runs. Knight Riders’ experienced allrounder Andre Russell stood amidst the ruins to hit a fighting 48 runs off 25 balls with four sixes and three boundaries. Muhammad Rohid Khan hastened the end of Knight Riders’ innings taking three wickets for 25 runs. MI Emirates began their chase with Mohammad Waseem and Kusal Perera striking comfortably. Waseem started by hitting Josh Little for two boundaries and a six off consecutive deliveries in the first over while Perera did the same against David Willey in the second over off successive deliveries. Together they put on 42 runs in 4.2 overs before Perera got out to Matiullah Khan caught by Sunil Narine at mid-on for 22.Skipper Nicholas Pooran, who joined Waseem, carried his team quickly to the target with an unbeaten 39 off 16 balls with five sixes and one boundary. Waseem remained unbeaten on 26 off 20 balls with two boundaries and a six. The MI Emirates won the match with 71 balls to spare. This big win lifted them to the top of the table too. The tale of Knight Riders’ disastrous batting began after Emirates won the toss and elected to bowl. Knight Riders lost half the side for 22 runs in 6.1 overs. UAE’s 21-year-old opener Alishan Sharafu had started off by scoring boundaries off Hosein and Boult, but fell in the third over hitting Hosein to Tim David at mid-off for 10. His opening partner Andries Gous, who had hit a match winning unbeaten 95 against Desert Vipers in his previous match, was joined by Michael Pepper. Boult removed Pepper (5) and Sam Hain (0), both of whom edged to wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran. He also went on to get Gous, caught by Dwayne Bravo at mid-on for 3. Hosein uprooted Laurie Evans off stump for 1. Imad Wasim and Andre Russell pushed the score to 47 before Wasim became the sixth wicket to fall, caught by Bravo at slip off Fazalhaq Farooqi for 7. In the 10th over, Ravi Bopara played Muhammad Rohid on to his wicket for a duck. Rohid also had David Willley caught by David at mid-on for a duck. At the half way mark, Abu Dhabi was tottering at 53 for 8. Skipper Narine, who joined Andre Russell, lasted just five balls to score one run before hitting high to Boult at mid-off. Russell though kept the scoreboard moving through some big hits. He smashed Rohid for two sixes in the 14th over and put on 36 runs in 16 balls with last man Josh Little.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: National Bank's Asjad Iqbal won the NBP 48th National Snooker Championship in a sensational final played at the Snooker Arena of the NBP Sports Complex., after a nerve-wracking 6-hour battle, Asjad overcame Owais Munirullah of Punjab by 7-6. National Bank Acting President Abdul Wahid Sethi presented the trophy and prize money of two lakh rupees to Asjad Iqbal, the winner of the National Snooker Championship, and one lakh rupees to the runner-up Awaisullah Munir, while Babar Masih was given a prize money of 25 thousand rupees for playing a break of 142.On this occasion, Pakistan Billiard and Snooker Association Chairman Alamgir Sheikh, Secretary Zulfiqar Ramzi, SVP Mudassar Inamullah, Kamran Khalid, VPNBP and Section Head Sports Afshan Shakeel, Farhan Rafiq, Yasir Jamal, Atif Ali Qasmi, Mohammad Azmat and others were also present.According to tournament director, Naveed Kapadia, the frame score of winner Asjad Iqbal's victory was 5-80, 99-14, 64-45, 64-08, 18-69, 42-64, 55-75, 42-55, 67-00, 71-21, 77-18, 48-92 and 55-40. Asjad Iqbal scored 72 in the second frame and 63 in the ninth frame, while Owais Munirullah scored 61 in the first frame and 92 in the twelfth frame.