MSC thrash Victoria to stay second

Defending champions Mohammedan continued their winning run and consolidated their Super Five position in the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League with a 10-2 victory over Victoria SC at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium yesterday.

With seven wins from as many matches, Mohammedan joined archrivals Abahani in second position with 21 points, three behind leaders Mariner Youngs Club, who have played eight and won all of those matches.

Since the start of the top-flight league in the middle of October following the Club Cup tournament, Mohammedan, Abahani and Mariner Youngs have been in fine form, with Mariner Youngs scoring highest 53 goals followed by Abahani's 45 and Mohammedan's 44.

However, Mohammedan have the best record when it comes to defence. The Black and Whites have conceded only three goals and kept five clean sheets. Club Cup champions Mariner Youngs have conceded nine while Club Cup runners-up Abahani conceded seven goals.

Though the three giants have not faced each other yet, the clashes between these three teams in the first phase and the Super Five stage will likely have a big say in deciding the title race.

With the three giants having already ensured their Super Five berths in the 12-team league, four more clubs -- Sonali Bank (15 from eight matches), Ajax SC (15 from nine matches), Bangladesh SC (13 from eight matches) and Shadharan Bima (12 from nine matches) – are fighting for the two remaining spots.

Though the midtable sides could not provide much challenge to the title contenders, the battles between these teams and the ones at the lower end of the table have been quite intense.