LAHORE - Arambagh Club clinched the trophy of the 9th Essa Lab Trophy Boys Basketball Tournament, organized by Firdous Ittihad and Usman Basketball Club under the patronage of SOA, after defeating Civil Tigers Club by 68-59 in the final at the ArambaghCourt, Karachi. Karachi’s former captain, Ali Chan Zaib, was declared the tournament’s best player for his exceptional performance.Additional Commissioner Karachi, Syed Ghazanfar Ali Shah, graced the final as the chief guest and distributed cash prizes and trophies among the players. Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest praised the efforts of the Karachi Basketball Association and the organisers, including Ghulam Muhammad Khan, for their year-round dedication to promoting basketball. He also commended Commander Prof Dr Farhan Essa for his generous sponsorship of the event and expressed hope for his continued support for sports development in the city. The event witnessed the presence of notable personalities, including Commissioner Karachi’s Director of Sports Ghulam Muhammad Khan, SOA Treasurer Muhammad Asghar Baloch, Russian Consulate Director Fareeha Raghib, MCB’s Muhammad Haider Khan, UBL’s Raziullah Khan, and sports organisers Kaleem Awan, Abdul Rahim Baloch, Abdul Hameed Baloch, Usman Ghani, NBP’s Muhammad Farooq Khan, and PWD’s Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi. In the final match, Zain-ul-Abideen’s three three-pointers contributed 18 points, while Ali Chan Zaib and Abdul Samad added 13 points each for the winning team.
For the runners-up, Haris Shahid scored 16 points, Muhammad Shahid 14, and Muneeb Channa 12 points. Match referees Zahid Malik, Muhammad Ashraf, and Aamir Sharif officiated, with Zaima Khatoon, Naeem Ahmed, and Zulfiqar Abbas Khan serving as technical officials.
On this occasion, Naveed Anjum, Manager of Salman Foods, announced a special basketball exhibition match on December 25 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Additionally, Ghulam Muhammad Khan revealed plans for a one-day girls’ tournament featuring four teams on December 27 to honor the martyrdom anniversary of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.