Qureshi ‘tricks for C Rly

The railway outfit drew parity in the very second minute after the break when full back Narad Bahadur finally found success with a firm low push from their seventh penalty corner. Six minutes later Qureshi got the first of his three goals with a snap hit from the edge of the circle. SAI players disputed the goal,but umpire Ashok Kumar after consultation with his colleague P.L. Murugappan at the other end,stuck to his decision.

Later Boon D’Souza made a good run down the middle before relaying the ball to Ather Mirza who unleashed a powerful shot past goalkeeper Naresh Choudhary and to the roof of the cage in the 48th minute. Qureshi came up with two more field goals in the 52nd and 69th minutes to complete his hat-trick and seal Central’s win.

Central now tally 12 points from four wins in six matches and continue to stay in third position behind leaders Western Railway (18 points) and second placed Indian Navy (13 points). This was the fifth defeat for SAI in seven outings. They have a win and a draw to their credit.

Qureshi was undoubtedly named ‘man of the match’ and received a cash prize of Rs 1,000 from Olympian Anil Aldrin.

Results: Central Railway 5 (Narad Bahadur,Ajaz Qureshi 3,Ather Mirza) bt Sports Authority of India 1 (Satinder Singh).