By: Ahmed Mukhtar, Shahid Qureshi
ISLAMABAD: A leading Dutch Hockey Club Billy Ozendaal won the three-match friendly series against Higher Education Commission (HEC) team by emerging victorious in the third and final match here at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium on Friday.
The match was tied at 1-1 within the allotted time, however, the Dutch team won the match with three goals to two on penalty strokes.
The diplomats from various nations watched the match along with Olympians, sports fans, university students from Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The Ambassador of Netherlands to Pakistan, Henny de Vries, Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan, Totuiaev Ulanbek Asankulovich, the Australian High Commissioner, Neil Hawkins, Ambassador of Morocco to Pakistan, Acting Ambassador of Romania to Pakistan, Eduard-Robert Preda, the High Commissioner-designate of Brunei Darussalam, Colonel (r) Pengiran Haji Kamal Bashah and Dean of the African Corps Mohammed Karmoune were also present on the occasion.
The Dutch hockey club arrived in Pakistan last Sunday to play a three-match friendly series with the Prime Minister’s Youth Talent Hunt team.
The Dutch club Billy Ozendaal is the first international hockey team to visit Pakistan after the gap of twenty-two years. Orange and Black was the last European club that visited Pakistan in 2001 to play friendly matches.
The club commonly known as Bully visited Pakistan on the invitation of Khawaja Junaid Hockey Academy (KJHA) and played three games two at National Hockey Stadium, Lahore, and one at Naseer Bunda Stadium, Islamabad.
Earlier, Netherlands’ Ambassador to Pakistan, Henny de Vries, hosted a reception to honor the Dutch hockey team, stressing the crucial role of sports diplomacy in nurturing international ties and building bridges between countries.
