ISLAMABAD - Hat-trick heroes Ihsanullah and Hammad Anjum helped PIA thump Sindh 7-2 in the 65th Muhammad Noor Khan National Hockey Championship-2019 at Abdul Sattar Edhi National Hockey Stadium, Karachi on Friday.
In other matches of the day, Railways edged out determined spirited 6-4, Police hammered Gilgit 20-2, Wapda outclassed Fata 19-0 while Mari Gas Petroleum Limited and Punjab played out 2-2 draw in the fifth and last match of the day.
In the first match of the day, PIA had to face resistance from spirited Sindh before winning the match 7-2. Ihsan Ullah and Hammad Anjum played exceptionally and contributed with hat-trick each for the winners while Waqas Akbar scored one goal. For Sindh, Noman and Zohaib struck one goal apiece. In the second match of the day, Railways faced stiff resistance at the hands of Balochistan. Awais-ur-Rehman was hero of the day for the winners with three goals while Zaheer Hussian slammed in two goals and Rizwan Ali one. For Balochistan, Abdul Raheem, Imran Khan, M Zahid and Munawar contributed with one goal each.
In the third match, Police thrashed Gilgit 20-2. Ali Muhammad scored six goals, Noman and Anees four goals each, Rao Amir three goals, Bilawal two goals and Ahmed Farhan one goal for the winners. For Gilgit, Rashid Hussian scored a brace. In the fourth match, Wapda enjoyed goal fiesta against Fata. Sami Ullah scored five goals, M Irfan three, Aleem Bila, Ali Aziz and Ijaz Ali two goals each and Touseeq Arshad, Tasawar Ababsi, Ghazanfar Ali, M Imran and Waleed Usman hit one goal apiece.
In the last match of the day, MPCL was given real run for their money by the youngsters of Punjab, who fought their hearts out and managed to hold MPCL 2-2. MPCL twice took the lead, but Punjab never lost hope and managed to level on both occasions. Tehzeem Hassan provided lead to MPCL in 11th minute but Asher Tariq equalized it in the 30th minute. Usman Ali then made it 2-1 for MPCL in 43rd minute but Waqas Butt smashed in an equalizer in the 59th minute. Once again, it was the youngster Khubaib Ahmed, who caught the eyes of the selectors and spectators, with his superb display of modern day hockey and kept Punjab in the match.
