16th National Seniors Cup: Knockout stage reached in South Punjab

Pakistan News & Features Services

Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan Tigers, Khanewal, Multan Whites, Arifwala and Sahiwal have reached the pre-quarter-finals in the South Punjab zone of the 16th National Seniors Cup Cricket Tournament 2014 whose league matches have concluded. 

Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan Tigers, Khanewal, Multan Whites, Arifwala and Sahiwal emerged champions in their respective groups, having remained undefeated in the league matches. The annual event for the seniors is being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA) and sponsored jointly by Arif Habib Corporation Limited and Omar Associates (Pvt) Limited. 

In the pre-quarters, Dera Ghazi Khan will be pitted against Bahawalpur Greens, Khanewal will be taking on Jampur, Multan Tigers will be confronting Khanewal Lions, Multan Whites will clash with Insaf, Arifwala will lock horns with Burewala Lions and Sahiwal will tackle Bahawalpur. 

Dera Ghazi Khan topped the Group A by securing a maximum of six points from the Group A in which Jampur ended runners-up with Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan having been eliminated after the first round. Multan Tigers headed the Group B with six points with Insaf ending as the runners-up and the duo of Muzaffargarh and Layyah bowing out of the competition. 

The Group C was led by Khanewal, who secured six points, while Bahawalpur Greens finished runners-up ahead of Bahawalpur and Lodhran. Multan Whites led the points table in the Group D while Khanewal Lions ended as the runners-up to knockout Multan Heroes and Mian Channu Stallions. 

The top honours in the Group E were clinchéd by Arifwala with Bahawalnagar having had to content with the runner-up slot as Pakpattan and Chishtian got out of the race. Sahiwal topped the table in the Group F with six points while Burewala Lions ended as the runners-up to which threw Vehari and Chichawatni out of the competition. 

A record number of 108 teams from 58 cities have entered the16th National Seniors Cup. The participating teams were divided in 24 Groups. They included 35 city teams from Punjab, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight from Sindh, three from Islamabad and one from FATA. The national final will be played between the winning teams of North and South zones at Lahore on May 4.

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Mirpurkhas, Dadu and Shikarpur register victories in National Seniors Cup

Pakistan News & Features Services

Mirpurkhas, Dadu and Shikarpur emerged triumphant over their respective rivals in the latest southern region matches of the 16th National Seniors Cup Cricket Tournament 2014 played in the interior of Sindh. 

Mirpurkhas tamed Badin by five wickets, Dadu overwhelmed Sanghar by six wickets and Shikarpur defeated Sukkur by 18 runs in their opening matches of the annual event being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA) and sponsored jointly by Arif Habib Corporation Limited and Omar Associates (Pvt) Limited. 

Leg-spinner Sharfuddin (4-28) and left-arm spinner Naimatullah (2-36) restricted Badin to 147 for seven in the allotted 25 overs after their openers Mohammad Musa (46 off 53 balls) and Shahid Ahmed (23 off 26 balls) had laid the foundation for a bigger total. 

Mirpurkhas made the most of the solid opening stand between Mohammad Khalid (42 off 45 balls) and Rahmatullah (29 off 27 balls) to reach the target of 148 in 21.3 overs with five wickets in hand despite Shahid’s haul of three wickets. 

Akbar Channa’s fine all-round performance helped Dadu to dominate Sanghar. The medium-pacer claimed three wickets for 22 runs to restrict Sanghar to 138 for seven with number Munawwar Ali (56 off 41 balls) fighting a lone battle. 

The 79-run second wicket partnership between opener Abdul Ghaffar (60 off 41 balls) and Akbar Channa (38 off 18 balls) put Dadu in commanding position and they romped home in the 16th over even after a mini-collapse that saw them lose three wickets for nine runs. 

Fluent knocks from opener Nisar Ahmed (71 off 60 balls) and Himmat Raza (91 off 61 balls), who added 141 for the second wicket, allowed Shikarpur to post an impressive total of 214 for five in the allotted 25 overs. 

Sukkur responded positively with the openers Shafi Mohammad (39 off 32 balls) and Khan Mohammad (25 off 23) laying the base. Number three Mushtaq Ali (47 off 44 balls) kept them in the hunt but wickets tumbled at the other end and they were restricted to 196 for nine with Himmat Raza (2-30) and Mazhar Ali (2-41) doing the damage. 

As many as 108 teams from 58 cities have entered the tournament. They have been divided in 24 Groups and they incl;ude 35 city teams from Punjab, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight from Sindh, three from Islamabad and one from FATA. The national final will be played between the winning teams of North and South zones at Lahore on May 4.

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Omar Associates, Moin Khan Academy triumph in National Seniors Cup

Pakistan News & Features Services

Omar Associates and Moin Khan Academy opened their campaign on a winning note as they prevailed over their respective rivals in the latest southern region matches of the 16th National Seniors Cup Cricket Tournament 2014 played at the TMC Ground, Karachi, over the weekend. 

Omar Associates whipped Gold Bridge Media by 106 runs while Moin Khan Academy blasted Karachi Friends by eight wickets to consolidate their position in the annual event being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA) and sponsored by Arif Habib Corporation Limited and Omar Associates (Pvt) Ltd. The event offers Rs 805,000 in prize money. 

Left-arm spinner Nadeem Musa, adjudged Man of the Match, played the pivotal role in guiding Omar Associates to an emphatic win in their first outing in the tournament. He returned the exceptional figures of 6 for 30 off 4.3 overs to send Gold Bridge Media, set a daunting target of 273 in 25 overs, crashing to 166 all out in 18 overs. 

Gold Bridge Media started their reply in a spectacular style as the enterprising knocks from opener Mukhtar Ali (41 off 20 balls) and Kashif Hanif (41 off 26 balls) kept them ahead of the clock but their dismissal in rapid succession followed by the terrific spell from Nadeem Musa changed the complexion of the game. Jaffer Qureshi, also a left-arm spinner, and leg-spinner K K Mahmood claimed a couple of wickets each. 

Earlier left-handed Jaffer Qureshi had also struck 61 off 37 balls while opening the Omar Associates innings. The momentum was sustained by Azhar Khan who stroked a whirlwind 70 off 31 with the help of three sixes and eight fours to take the total to a mammoth 272 for eight in 25 overs despite fine bowling from left-arm spinner Salahuddin (3-37) and off-spinner Ahsan Shakoor (2-37). 

In the other game, Moin Khan Academy faced no problems in chasing down the modest target of 168 with opener Asif Siddiqui (57 off 38 balls) setting the platform and number three Omar Masood, declared Man of the Match, finishing it off with unbeaten 73 from only 49 balls, striking five sixes and four fours as the winning runs came with 5.2 overs to spare. 

The spin duo of Habib-ur-Rahman (3-20) and Mahmood Hamid (2-21) restricted Karachi Friends to 167 for eight in 25 overs despite opener Irfan Ali Khan, who followed up his century in the opening game, with another superb knock of 72 off 45 balls, hitting one six and a dozen boundaries. He dominated the 98-run opening partnership with Azeem Ahmed (31 off 35 balls) but the middle-order succumbed to the accurate spin bowling in the later part of the innings. 

A record number of 108 teams from 58 cities have entered the tournament. They have been divided in 24 Groups and they incl;ude 35 city teams from Punjab, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight from Sindh, three from Islamabad and one from FATA. The national final will be played between the winning teams of North and South zones at Lahore on May 4.

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Irfan Ali Khan’s century powers Karachi Friends to victory in 16th National Seniors Cricket Cup opener

Pakistan News & Features Services

Irfan Ali Khan’s blazing century (110 off 65 balls) powered Karachi Friends to a comfortable 25-run victory over Karachi Gold Bridge in the opening match of the 16th National Seniors Cup Cricket Tournament 2014 at the National Stadium, Karachi, on March 30. 

The tournament, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), was inaugurated by Nadeem Omar, Managing Director, Omar Associates (Pvt) Limited, who pledged his unstinted support for the promotion of the game at all levels. 

Karachi Friends, who elected to bat after winning the toss, rattled up a huge score of 268 for two in the allotted 25 overs. Karachi Gold Bridge responded positively but lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 243 on the final ball of their innings. 

The 176-run opening partnership, between Irfan Ali Khan and Azeem Ahmed, in a matter of 16.3 overs laid the platform for a massive total. Irfan was the dominating partner as he clobbered five sixes and 14 fours in his 110 off 65 balls while Azeem chipped in with 64 off 40 balls with the help of two sixes and nine fours. 

The momentum was sustained by Farooq Ahmed and Anwar Baba, who added 78 runs for their unbroken third wicket stand in less than six overs. Anwar smashed three sixes and seven fours in his whirlwind unbeaten 52 off 24 balls while Farooq remained undefeated with 28 off 21 balls. 

Skipper Syed Mukhtar Ahmed and off-spinner Ahsan Shakoor were the only wicket-takers for Karachi Gold Bridge whose bowlers went for aplenty. 

The captain then led the charge as Mukhtar, who opened the Karachi Gold Bridge innings, smashed three sixes and eight fours in his swashbuckling 66 off 31 balls. The loss of quick wickets, however, derailed their progress and even the late onslaught from Mohammad Adil, who whacked two sixes and six fours in his 61 off 30 balls before being run out, was not enough to get them back in the game. 

The Karachi Friends spin trio of Sajid Ali (3-39), Raza Rizvi (2-39) and Raees Ahmed (2-40) did the damage with support from Azeem Ahmed (1-37) and Amjad Aman (1-47). The Man of the Match award, however, was clinched by Irfan Ali Khan for his splendid century. 

A record number of 108 teams from 58 cities are participating in the tournament, having been divided in 24 Groups. 35 city teams from Punjab, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight from Sindh, three from Islamabad and one from FATA have entered the tournament with the national final to be played between the winning teams of North and South zones at Lahore on May 4. 

The total prize money in the seven-week event, being sponsored by Arif Habib Corporation Limited and Omar Associates (Pvt) Limited, is Rs 805,000.

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16th National Seniors Cricket Cup 2014 to commence on March 30

Pakistan News & Features Services

The 16th National Seniors Cricket Cup 2014, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), will be getting underway with the inaugural match of the Southern Zone between Karachi Gold Bridge and Karachi Friends at the National Stadium, Karachi, on March 30.

The details of the seven-week event, being sponsored by Arif Habib Corporation Limited and Omar Associates (Pvt) Limited, were unveiled by Fawad Ijaz Khan, Chairman, PVCA, and Aashiq Hussain Qureshi, CEO, PVCA, in a media briefing at the Karachi Gymkhana on March 27. 

Nadeem Omar, Managing Director, Omar Associates (Pvt) Limited, and Mohammad Ejaz CEO Arif Habib REIT, were also present on the occasion. 

The total prize money in the tournament will be Rs 805,000 with the winners of the national final to receive a purse of Rs 150,000 and the runners-up to collect Rs 75,000. 

It was disclosed that a total of 108 teams from 58 cities will be participating in the tournament and they have been divided in 24 Groups. As many as 35 city teams from Punjab, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight from Sindh, three from Islamabad and one from FATA have entered the competition whose national final will be played between the winning teams of North and South zones at Lahore on May 4. 

The group matches for the Southern Zone will be of 25 overs each innings whereas the zonal and national finals will be of 30 overs per innings. The group matches will be organized on single league basis. 

The matches of Northern Zone will be played at Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Multan, Okara, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Muridke, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Sialkot while the matches of Southern Zone will be played at Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu, Shikarpur and Badin. 

Alamgir Ahmed has been designated as the Coordinator for the Southern Zone whose organizing committee will comprise of Amjad Islam Rishi, Mir HyderAli Talpur, Abdul Hussain Shah, Visal Ansari, Hasnain Bokhari and Ateeq Shaikh. 

The PVCA, it may be recalled, was established in 1998 at Karachi, having been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) since 2001 as the sole representative cricket organization for seniors/veterans cricket in the country. 

The PVCA has attained not only national but international recognition as well. It has played three series of one-dayers against Indian Veterans with some of the legendary cricketers having played in those games. Besides organizing seniors/veterans/super veterans cricket, the PVCA is also actively promoting school cricket. 

The flagship event of the PVCA at national level has been the National Seniors Cup, now in its 16th year, having been played annually amongst selected teams of various cities. The PVCA has been organizing the National Seniors Tournament every year since 1998. 

As far as the playing conditions for the tournament are concerned, players who are 40 years or above on the day of the match are eligible to participate and the age of players will be certified through CNIC. Only those players who have stopped playing first class cricket since last year are eligible to participate in the tournament.

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Record purse disbursed in Pakistan Day bridge

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Cash awards of no less US $20,000, a new record, were presented to the leading performers of the Pakistan Day International Bridge Tournament in what turned out to be a colourful closing ceremony of a successful event where the participation level was on the higher side.

The team event was contested by as many as 35 outfits, which included some of the top players of the United Kingdom, China, Jordan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

They were confronted with 29 local teams from Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi Islamabad, Multan and Hyderabad who had joined hands to tackle the tricky combination of cards and solve these problems through intense mental activity required in the mind sport of bridge. 

Both the UK outfits came up with sterling performance to share the top two positions after two days of intense fight for supremacy. UK-2, comprising of Jason Hackett, Justin Hackett, Mike Bell and Alex Hydes, won the Nawab Yousuf Talpur Trophy besides the top prize US $7,000 by aggregating 162.31 Victory Points (VPs) while Barmy Army, and containing Sendra Penfold, Edward Jones, Thomas Paske and Brain Senior, ended runners-up with their tally of 134.56 VPs and they collected a purse of US $3,500.

Talpur, featuring Nawab Mohammad Yousuf Talpur, Parvez Mirza, Rashid-ul-Ghazi and Syed Hasan Jawwad, were the leaders among the local teams as they finished third overall with their score of 129.72 VPs, picking up a cash award of US $2,500 while Miran, having Khurshid Hadi, Kemal Shoaib, Abdul Rehman Allana, Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan, Tahir Masood and Javed Ahmed, received US $2,000 for having finished fourth with 126.44 VPs. 

Dynamite, represented by Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Naseem Arzoo, Syed Hussain Jaffar, Mohammad Ashraf Kothari, Anwar Gheewala and Afzal Ahmed Sheikh, came fifth by having aggregated 115.77 VPs which earned them US $1,500 while the sixth placed KG-1, fielding E U Khawaja, Usman Ansari, Nasir Wahab, Sattar Cochinwala and Mansoor Habib, with an aggregate of 115.40 VPs, got US $500.

The participation in the pairs contest was even higher with as many as 92 pairs having competed for the Data Steel Trophy which was claimed by Ghufran Ashraf-Shahab Khan (61.50%), alongwith a cash prize of US $1,000. 

Runners-up Brian Senior-Sandra Penfold (59.98%) received US $700 while Anwar Sultan-Khalid Manzoor (59.97%), Afzal Sheikh-Iqbal Siddiqui (59.95%), Hassan Jawwad-Rashid-ul-Ghazi (57.21%) and Khurshid Hadi-Kemal Shoaib (57.12%) shared the next four positions and they were compensated with US $500, US $400, US $250 and US $150 respectively. 

Special prizes of US $100 each were presented through the courtesy of Data Steel to the pairs of Ali Hai-Zia Hai and Qudsia Dossa-Rubina Hai.

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Richly deserved Lifetime Achievement Award for Rashid-ul-Ghazi

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Rashid-ul-Ghazi, acclaimed as the most accomplished bridge player of the country, has been decorated with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF), a recognition he richly deserved.  

The presentation was made to him during the Victory Banquet of the Pakistan Day International Bridge Tournament 2014 at the Hotel Pearl Continental, Karachi, on March 23. 

The modest and unassuming Rashid, having won more championships than anyone in the country, was hailed as a formidable opponent with the rare abilities to achieve outstanding results on a consistent basis. 

His services to the game were very rightly lauded by the top officials of the PBF and the Mind Sports Association of Pakistan (MSAP), who jointly organized the three-day festival. 

Rashid, who was also a part of the national team which won the BFAME Zonal Championship at Chennai, India, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Nawab Yousuf Talapur, President, PBF, in the presence of Khurshid Hadi, Chairman, MSAP. 

Tariq Rasheed Khan, Director, MSAP, and a former President of the PBF, was highly appreciative of the accomplishments of Rashid, whom he described as a role model for the bridge players of the country.

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UK dominance in Pakistan Day bridge

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The brilliance of the stars from the United Kingdom, who played under the banner of UK-2 and Barmy Army, shared the top two positions in the team event of the Pakistan Day International Bridge Championships which concluded at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Karachi, on March 23. 

Besides the UK there were foreign participants from China, Jordan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well in the three-day festival organized jointly by the Mind Sport Association of Pakistan (MSAP) and the Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF). 

UK-2, comprising of Jason Hackett, Justin Hackett, Mike Bell and Alex Hydes, continued to dominate their rivals and their eventual aggregate of 162.31 Victory Points (VPs), earned them the top slot with ease and grace. 

Barmy Army, the other participating team from the UK and containing Sendra Penfold, Edward Jones, Thomas Paske and Brain Senior, ended runners-up with their tally of 134.56 VPs. Talpur, featuring Nawab Mohammad Yousuf Talpur, Parvez Mirza, Rashid-ul-Ghazi and Syed Hasan Jawwad, were the leaders among the teams fielded by Pakistan. They finished third overall with their score of 129.72 VPs while Miran, having Khurshid Hadi, Kemal Shoaib, Abdul Rehman Allana, Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan, Tahir Masood and Javed Ahmed, finished fourth with 126.44 VPs. 

The fifth position was claimed by Dynamite, represented by Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Naseem Arzoo, Syed Hussain Jaffar, Mohammad Ashraf Kothari, Anwar Gheewala and Afzal Ahmed Sheikh, who aggregated 115.77 VPs. KG-1, having E U Khawaja, Usman Ansari, Nasir Wahab, Sattar Cochinwala and Mansoor Habib, came a close sixth with 115.40 VPs while China-2, containing Limin Wang, Hua Liang, Huizhong Zhao, Zhiwei Ding, Rhenda Zhang and Tianlu Guo, had to settle with the seventh slot with their tally of 113.68 VPs. 

Avengers, fielding Qasim Rahim Khan, Ali Ahmed, Hamza Liaqat and Mohammad Salman Qasim, finished eighth with 110.54 VPs, Ahsan, comprising of Ahsan Zahir Rizvi, Nasir Raza Khan, Ghulam Mohammad, Anis-ur-Rehman, Mohammad Ghufran Ashraf and Shahab Latif Khan, were placed ninth wither tally of 109.97 VPs and Zara, having fielded Zara Randa, Mays, Aida, Samar Alrawashde, Mohammad Hikal and Sakhar, were placed 10th with 109.59 VPs. 

A total of 35 teams, seven of them from abroad, took part in the event which was spread over 10 rounds. The first five rounds were played on March 22 while the remaining five rounds were contested the following day. 

The first round winners were Barny Army, UK-2, Hai, Thread & Needles, Miran, Sindh Bilal, Zara, Romex, Karachi Aces, Dynamite, KG-1, Ahsan, China-2, Izzat Khalil, Talpur, Blue Chips and Aces with Trail Blazers having been given a bye. 

Aces, UK-2, Thread & Needles, Talpur, Miran, Romex, Barny Army, Zara, Izzat Khalil, Avengers, Puri Estate, Star Bidders, Masood IV, Softel, Dynamo, Sabres and Turkey registered wins in the second round with Foxy given a bye. 

UK-2, Barny Army, Talpur, China-2, Sindh Bilal, Puri Estate, Turkey, Avengers, Dynamo, Ahsan, Dynamite, Trail Blazers, Foxy, Holdem and Saya defeated their respective opponents in the third round in which B-Team had a bye. A couple of matches also ended in a draw in this particular round. 

Thread & Needles played out a draw against Aces while Star Bidders and Hai were also engaged in a drawn encounter. There were massive victories for Data Steel and Masood IV in the fourth round as they whipped B-Team and Softel respectively. 

UK-2, Talpur, Miran, Romex, Sindh Bilal, China-2, Zara, Avengers, Star Bidders, Hai, Trail Blazers, Saya, Karachi Aces, Lahore and Marathon also prevailed over their respective rivals while Inbox had a bye in the fourth round. 

The victorious teams in the fifth round were UK-2, Sindh Bilal, Miran, China-2, Zara, Avengers, Masood IV, Dynamite, Puri Estate, Ahsan, Kohat Cement, Karachi Aces, KG-1, Holdem, China, Inbox and Soften with Sabres getting a bye. 

There was more success in the sixth round for UK-2, Talpur, Avengers, Thread & Needles, Dynamite, Turkey, Aces, Ahsan, Trail Blazers, Softel, Foxy, Holdem, Saya, Data Steel, Lahore and Blues with Marathon having been given a bye which the match between Miran and Barmy Army ended in a stalemate. 

Puri Estate, UK-2, Holdem, Hai, Inbox, China-2, Sindh Bilal, Trail Blazers, Masood IV, Barmy Army, Softel, Miran, Blue Chips, Dynamo, Marathon, Turkey and Sabres registered wins in the seventh round with Karachi Aces given a bye. 

KG-1, Marathon, Lahore, Trail Blazers, Masood IV, Sindh Bilal, Aces, Dynamite, Barmy Army, Foxy, Puri Estate, Star Bidders, Ahson, Inbox, Thread & Needles and UK-2 overcame their respective opponents in the eighth round in which China had a bye while Dynamo and Saya were played out a drawn encounter. 

The winners in the ninth round were Data Steel, KG-1, Foxy, Hai, Miran,Talpur, Masood IV, Marathon, Aces, Avengers, Inbox, Barmy Army, UK-2, Dynamo, Turkey, Karachi Aces and Sabres while Kohat had a bye. 

China, Dynamite, UK-2, Softel, Zara, Barmy Army, Ahsan, Avengers, Miran, Dynamo, Marathon, Talpur, China-2, Kohat Cement, KG-1, Saya and Romex signed off with victories over their respective rivals in the tenth and final round in which Blue Chips had a bye.

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