National Bank start campaign to retain Patron’s Trophy title

KARACHI: The 2006-07 Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship, sponsored by the ABN-AMRO Bank, begins at four different grounds in the country from today (Friday), two days earlier than previously scheduled to start from November 5. Nine teams are participating in this season’s competition.

One of Pakistan’s premier first-class tournaments, with all matches to be four-day affairs, Group A has its two games scheduled here in the city. Last season’s champions National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) will meet newcomers Attock Group (previously entered on the circuit as the Attock Refinery Limited, ARL) in their first-round match, here at their own NBP Sports Complex Stadium.

The other match in Group A is between Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), here at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Ground No.1.

Pakistan Customs are the fifth outfit in Group A. Their campaign starts from the second round, scheduled to begin from November 11, with a match against Attock Group at the UBL Ground here.

The two fixtures getting underway today in Group B are between Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), at the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi, and between Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), at the Sheikhupura Stadium.

There are only four teams only in Group B. After the end of the group-league, the top two teams from each pool will play three matches each in a Quadrangular Stage round from December 5 to 18. The side finishing on top of the points table will be the Patron’s Trophy champion.

Ten teams competed in the Patron’s Trophy Championship in 2005-06. This season, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) are missing as the department has withdrawn its team for its won reasons. PTCL had actually topped Group B last season and made the Quadrangular Stage.

Service Industries have been relegated to the non-first-class Grade-II section after finishing at the bottom of its pool in the Patron’s Trophy competition last season. Their place have been taken up by the Attock Group, winners of the 2005-06 Patron’s Grade-II Championship under the banner of ARL.

The Patron’s Trophy competition is Pakistan’s national contest among teams representing the government and semi-government departments, corporations, commercial organisations, business houses, banks, airlines and educational institutions, etc.

The 2006-07 tournament is the 35th in line since being renamed as the Patron’s Trophy Championship. Its previous titles were the Ayub Trophy and the BCCP Trophy. Six of the competitions were not adjudged first-class due to various reasons.

Of the 28 Patron’s Trophy Championships, played since 1972-73 and the ones enjoying first-class status, Habib Bank have been the winners on most occasions — seven. Karachi teams and National Bank have bagged the title six times each, Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan (ADBP, now ZTBL) four times and Pakistan Railways, Allied Bank, United Bank and Pakistan Customs once each.

Strangely, PIA have never won a Patron’s Trophy title. They were, however, in the final with Habib Bank in 2005-06, when the two sides had to share the trophy after the match was heavily affected by rain and bad weather.

A handsome prize money of Rs 600,000 will be on offer in the championship. The winners will take home Rs 300,000 and the runners-up will get Rs 150,000.