KARACHI: District East Colours have defeated District Malir Whites by 13-2 in the final to win the Olympian Mansoor Ahmed Memorial Ramadan Inter-district five-a-side hockey league at the Olympian Hanif Khan and Dr.Junaid Ali Shah Sports Complex Gulshan Iqbal, says a Press release.
Former Pakistan Captain Haseem Khan and Owais Khan were instrumental in their team`s resounding success, sharing eight goals amongst themselves, while Rizwan Khan (2), Umair Khan, Imran Khan and Irfan Tahir added one goal to the winning tally.
Zafar and Shahbaz, scored one goal each for the losers.
Asif Raza of district Malir Whites was declared the best player of the tournament.
Besides Haseem Khan, East Colours had the services of former Olympian goalkeeper Ahmed Alam and guest player Olympian Waqas Akbar who had specially come from Vehari in southern Punjab, to pay tribute to the deceased custodian Mansoor Ahmed.
A day earlier Waqas Akbar was on a goal-scoring spree as he slammed nine goals to power District East Colours into the final while registering a 17-12 victory over District Korangi Colours in the second semi-final.
He was followed by Owais Khan (3), Rizwan Khan and Umair Khan two each and Imran Khan one.
District Korangi Colours fought courageously with Shujaat Ali stoling the limelight with half-a-dozen goals.
Zubair Ahmed struck three while Hammad Mustafa, Junaid Iqbal and Sami Khan added one goal each.
The Group of Riders (TGR) headed by Mohammad Akbar Khan enthralled the spectators by taking a couple of laps on their heavy bikes outside the mini turf of the Olympian Hanif Khan and Dr. Junaid Ali Shah Sports Complex to pay homage to the late Olympian.
Caretaker Sindh Sports Minister Dr Syed Junaid Ali Shah, who is also the president of the Karachi Hockey Association (KHA), graced the final.
Dr Junaid said, “I want to do something new in a short span of time to be remembered in history,” he told reporters.
The final was attended among others by Perveen Akhtar and Sumera Shahbaz, the mother and sister of the late Mansoor, alongside Asma Shah, Afshan Farooq Sattar, KHA Officials Gulfraz Ahmed Khan, DSP Ejazuddin, Dr S A Majid, Jawaid Iqbal, Abdul Azeem Khan,Secretary Sindh Olympic Association Ahmed Ali Rajput,Vice President Mahfooz ul Haq, Media Coordinator Kashif Farooqi, Rao Jawed Iqbal, Mohsin Ali Khan,secretary Karachi Hockey Association Syed Haider Hussain and a great number of Hockey Lovers.