Hattricks galore
Holders Dhaka Mariner Young's Club and title contenders Mohammedan SC continued their big-win run in the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League in their respective matches at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium yesterday.
Mariner Young's overwhelmed Bangladesh SC 8-1, thanks to hattricks from Mamunur Rahman Chayan and Mainul Islam Koushik, while Mohammedan survived a first-half scare to outplay Sonali Bank 8-2 with a superb performance from Gurjinder Singh and Nasir Hossain, both of whom slammed hattricks.
With eight straight wins, both Mariner Young's and Mohammedan SC joined leaders Abahani on top of the table with 24 points while Sonali Bank lags behind with 18 points from eight matches.
Buoyed by four foreign players as well as nine national players, Mariner Young's hardly faced any challenge from Bangladesh SC, who came into the match on the back of three consecutive defeats. Penalty corner (PC) specialist Chayan converted the first PC of the match in the sixth minute before Koushik struck a brace and Chayan made it 4-0 from another PC in the 23rd minute.
Koushik completed his second hattrick of the campaign after restart, before Chayan struck the last two goals, from PCs to complete his second hattrick. In between, Mahbub Hossain and Azizul Islam netted one goal apiece for the defending champions.
In the day's second match, Sonali Bank gave Mohammedan a run for their money in the first half by coming from two goals down to draw level. Indian recruit Gurjinder Singh, who had scored six goals in the previous match against Wanderers Club, gave Mohammedan a 2-0 lead within eight minutes before Rajib Das made it 2-1 with a solo effort and Fazle Hossain equalised from a penalty stroke.
After resumption, a neck-and-neck fight was expected, but Sonali Bank, playing with only local players, were helpless against Mohammedan's foreign recruits.
It was again Gurjinder who restored the lead in the 41st minute with a nice strike from inside the circle to complete his hattrick before Nasir found the back of the net with a reverse-hit in the following minute.
Then Rasel Mahmud Jimmy, Gurjinder and Shamsher Singh fed Nasir to help him to his second hattrick and the league's 27th treble while Arvinder Singh wrote his name on the scoresheet too.
Mohammedan will face archrivals Abahani on May 21 after Mariner Young's play against Dhaka Wanderers Club on May 20.
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