National Hockey
Faridpur end long drought
Unb, Dhaka
Faridpur clinched the 27th National Hockey Championship title, their second in 21 years, when they edged star-studded Dhaka 2-1 in the final at the Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium yesterday. It was the second national title for Faridpur, whose only previous success came in 1976. Yousuf Ali Biswas put Faridpur ahead after seven minutes after taking a pass from man-of-the-final Prashanta from the left wing but the lead was short lived as Iqbal Nazir Prince restored parity for Dhaka 11 minutes later with a powerful hit. The match was locked 1-1 at the break but Mamunur Rahman Chayan struck the match winner for Faridpur from a 63rd minute penalty corner. Faridpur captain Musa Mia, who scored 13 goals to share the top scorer's place with BKSP's Syed Al Masum, said the team played very well in every department. "All the credit goes to the boys for this victory," the national centre-half said. Dhaka captain Russell Mahmud Jimmy accused the umpires of making some poor decisions. "This caused us to lose concentration and finally we could not get back in the game," the forward said. Sports Adviser Tapan Chowdhury witnessed the final as chief guest and distributed trophies. Bangladesh Hockey Federation president Air Marshall SM Ziaur Rahman and other officials were present.
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