Talent-grooming hockey tournament will be played here at the National Hockey Stadium from August 6 to 14. As many as, seven selected teams from the respective training and coaching centres currently in progress at Lahore, Faisalabad, Karachi, Quetta, Bannu, Peshawar and Bahawalpur in addition to Pak Army, will take part in the competition.
According to Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF)'s spokesman, the coaching centres have been organised by the new management of the PHF in its drive to get maximum talented players for the Champions Trophy training camp. Eight teams have been divided into two pools wherein matches will be played on league basis until the semi-final stage. The top two teams from each pool will play cross semi-final on knock-out basis, while the winners will vie for top honour in the final to be held on August 14.
FOLLOWING IS THE FORMATION OF POOLS AND MATCH PROGRAMME:
-- (POOL A): Karachi, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Quetta.
-- (POOL B): Lahore, Peshawar, Bannu, Army
-- Schedule of matches
-- August 6: Army vs Bannu,Lahore vs Peshawar.
-- August 7: Karachi vs Faisalabad, Bahawalpur vs Quetta
-- August 8: Bannu vs Lahore, Army vs Peshawar
-- August 9: Karachi vs Bahawalpur, Faisalabad vs Quetta.
-- August 10: Bannu vs Peshawar, Lahore vs Army
-- August 11: Faisalabad vs Bahawalpur, Karachi vs Quetta
-- August 12: 1st pool A vs 2nd pool B, (semi final), 2nd pool A vs 1st pool B (semi final)
-- August 13: REST DAY
-- August 14: 3rd & 4th place match, 1st and 2nd place match (final).