LUMS SportsFest proves abundance of talent in the country

LAHORE – The LUMS SportsFest 2011 drew great response from all the top institutions of the country recently. The event concluded on March 29.
A lot of events were contested and a large number of budding athletes showed that the country is not bereft of sporting talent.
In the table tennis boys event, participants from 20 schools and 16 universities took part. The first rounds of matches were very competitive. In the School Category, Aleemuddin from LGS Paragon, Subhan Asim and Irtija Ali from GCU and Abdullah Muhammad from LGS Johar Town qualified for the semi-finals. After a grilling semi-final in which Irtija played with Aleem and Subhan competed with Abdullah, Subhan Asim and Irtija Ali made it to the finals of the LUMS Sports Fest.
In the University Category, Muhammad Atif and Abu Bakr Aziz from PAC University, Saad Khawaja from FAST University, and Tayyab Sayeed Khan from PAC University qualified for the semi finals. Muhammad Atif competed with Saad Khwaja and Abu Bakr competed with Tayyab Sayeed in the semi finals. The final was played between Muhamad Atif, who played a very defensive game and Abu Bakr, the attacker from his own university.
The schools final was narrowly contested. In the final game Irtija was leading by five points, but it was a marvelous come back from Subhan that earned him the victory. In the Universities’ final, Abu Bakr won 3-2. The matches for third place in both the School and University category were tough and were won by Saad Khwaja and Aleemud din respectively.
The female table-tennis matches went smoothly and there were three players from Greenwich University, one was a LUMS alumni, one from LGS and one from FAST Lahore. Each game was a set of three matches, and all the players played the sport individually. At the end of each day, each player’s points were added up to update the rankings and the final game was held at the last day of the event. Anum from FAST emerged as the winner. Zarish Khan from LGS secured silver and third position was secured by Amna Humayun, a LUMS alumni.
In netball there was panic and chaos on the field and off the field. From getting the fields ready on time, to convincing the girls to play in the afternoon with their complexions at stake, netball was in constant motion.
The participants were some of the best teams from Lahore. Some of the best performances were given by LGS Ghalib Market, and Alumni of LGS 55. LGS Defence had fantastic spirits even though they couldn’t qualify for the finals. The final took place between LUMS and Alumni of LGS 55. The two teams had the score very tight up till the second quarter. However, in the third quarter, the other team took a lead which the LUMS team couldn’t chase.
In badminton, two brothers from SISA stood out by a mile, Anwar-ul-Haq and Inzam-ul-Haq. It came as no surprise that the siblings had to go head to head in the final. Apart from their exhilarating performances, there are a few others who deserve a special mention; Farhan (LGS JT), Khan Ameer Hamza (ISC) and Bilal Khan (Beaconhouse ALGC).
In the university matches, Awais and Abdullah (FAST Lahore), Haris and Ahmed (Greenwich), Usman and Ali (PAC), Salman and Ameer (LSE) were very impressive. Anwar ul Haq of School of International Studies in Science and Arts was the winner and Inzamamul Haq from same the institution was the runner up. Khan Ameer Hamza from International School of Choieufat was second runner up. Despite the limited registrations, female badminton was a huge success as it provided the spectators with what a great sporting event needs to. Top three girls in badminton, Anam Khan (FAST Lahore), Hafsa Mehmood (LGS Ghalib Market) and Madiha Nayyar (LSE) gave their all in the semi final. Anam won the final with Hafsa as Runner up and Madiha Nayyar was the second runner up.
In outdoor football, teams like Beaconhouse Defence Campus and Aitchison cruised through the group stages, and seemed the hot favorites in schools event. In the end however, it was the International School of Choueifat that managed to win the tournament, with an impressive performance against Beaconhouse in the final, claiming victory on penalties. G-unit Aitchison College got third position.
In the universities event, teams like the Professional Academy of Commerce and Nust Business School displayed impressive game. Deathrow managed to claim victory by defeating PAC in the final, and remained invincible throughout the tournament. FAST got third position.
In indoor football, a 3-a-side event, there was some exceptional individual talent on display. In the end Greenwich managed to win the tournament, with a win on penalties against the surprise finalists, and underdogs, BDC. LGS JT got third position.
There were 5 teams in the female, 3-a-side indoor football, which was based on a league setup with the top four teams of the group qualifying for the semifinals. Right from the get go proceedings were dominated by Islamabad, a team of skilled professionals went on to win the tournament. Although all their wins were comfortable, special attention should be directed to their 13-0 drubbing of LGS Ghalib Market in the group stage to secure top spot. Rounding up the proceedings were FAST, who put up a good show to reach the final, while the LUMS team managed to secure third place by overcoming NCA in a nail-biting match that had to be settled by sudden death in a penalty shoot out.