Top juniors stunned in U-21 Snooker
ISLAMABAD – Junior champions Sheheryar Khan (Sind), Rabish Pervaiz (Balochistan), Usman Khurshid (KP) and Sohaib Usman (Islamabad) were stunned by their respective rivals on the second day of the Jubilee Insurance 10th National Junior U-21 Snooker Championship here at PSB Billiards & Snooker Hall on Sunday. Sheheryar Khan tasted second defeat in two days, when unseeded M Mehmood Ahmed of Islamabad defeated him 3-1. KP’s Mubahsir Munsif shocked Rabish Pervaiz 3-2. Sheikh M Mudassar of Punjab outclassed KP junior champion Usman Khurshid 3-1. Defending champion M Naseem Akhtar of Punjab and last year’s runners-up M Haris Tahir of Punjab had easy sailings to the next round. They defeated Sohaib Usman and Altaf Hussain of Balochistan respectively by same margin 3-0.–Staff Reporter
Al-Faisal, GB, Ghauri score wins
ISLAMABAD - Al-Faisal Club, Gilgit-Baltistan and Ghauri Club won their respective matches in the second round of the Islamabad B Division Football League played at different venues on Sunday. In the first match played at Karachi Company Ground, Al-Faisal Club beat Baltistan Club 1-0. Asad scored the winning goal. IFA secretary Syed Sharafat Hussain Bukhari and Al-Faisal Football Club president M Sadir graced the occasion. In the second match, Gilgit-Baltistan defeated Federal Club 3-1. Rehmat Shah (8min), Rehan Younis (14 min) and Hasnain Abbas (50 min) were the scorers while the lone goal from losing side was scored by Rizwan Satti. The third match between Friends Club and Youth Power Club ended in 1-1 draw. Moeed scored for Youth Power Club and M Ali for Friend Club.–Staff Reporter
Army, Wapda in basketball semifinals
LAHORE - Pakistan Army, Wapda, POF and Peshawar Division reached the semifinals after beating their rivals in their last pool matches of the National Basketball Championship here at Sports Board Punjab courts on Sunday. Defending champion Army humbled Railways easily 92-28 in a one-sided affair. Rashid scored 15 while Saeed and Tughlab scored 14 each for Army. From Railways Farhan and Raheel scored 6 points each. In the second match, Lahore Division beat Faisalabad Division 94-62. It was Peshawar’s sheer bad luck that they lost their match against POF 55-63. Wapda tamed Navy 94-37. Amir scored 7 points for the winners while Abid and Bilal scored 16 and 13 points respectively. Arslan and Babr scored 12 points each for Navy. In the last match, POF defeated Peshawar Division 63-55.–Staff Reporter
Europe defeated Asia in EurAsia Cup
KUALA LUMPUR - Europe came from behind to defeat Asia 14-10 and retain the EurAsia Cup title Sunday, in a boost for captain Thomas Bjorn as he gears up for the Ryder Cup. Bjorn's side entered the final day of the tournament in Malaysia trailing Asia by one point but put on a masterclass in the singles, winning eight out of 12 matches. It was a disappointment for Indian captain Arjun Atwal's men, as Team Asia had ended the first two days of the event -- which featured foursome and fourball matches -- with a slim lead. Asia has never won the biennial Ryder Cup-style tournament. Europe thrashed them the last time it was held in 2016 while the inaugural 2014 edition ended in a tie. Europe dominated from the start Sunday and their winning point came when Belgium's Thomas Pieters defeated South Korea's An Byeong-Hun in a hard-fought match. Bjorn hailed his side's victory in the $4.8 million event: "It was a great performance today from every single one of them. There was a determination and a will of wanting to win this." The Dane is also Europe's Ryder Cup captain and the Malaysian event was a chance for him to run the rule over a heavyweight European side before the showdown against the USA in France in September. "I learned a lot about myself this week," said Bjorn, whose team included six Ryder Cup veterans.–AFP