Mohammad Hasan Roni celebrated an unlikely yet deserving hattrick as defending champions Mohammedan Sporting Club recorded their second successive win in the Green Delta Insurance First Division hockey league with a 3-0 trouncing on Dhaka Ansars at the Hockey Stadium yesterday

The tall Mohammedan central defender who had to shoulder the burden of huge pressure following the mysterious absence of captain Mahfuzul Alam Nixon, the penalty corner

specialist, rose to the occasion converting three short corners within the span of only six minutes into the second half.

After a barren first half. Roni opened the Mohammedan account in the 44th minute with a low drive off a Zahirul Islam Mitul push that squeezed into the left hand side of the post past a stretched Ansar custodian Rouf.

He scored his second goal four minutes later with a piledriver which crashed against the left hand side of the board and then added the third in the 50th minute to complete a unique treble. It was the second hattrick in this year's league so far following the one of Usha's

marksmanship.

Besides, in the first 35 minutes the ten-man Ansar defence led by their custodian Rouf, who made some brilliant saves, kept their awe-inspiring opponents at bay. putting away a wave of Mohammedan attacks like the billows of an accordion.

The agony of an understrength Mohammedans, who lost twc. of their key players at the onset of the inter-club players' transfer, were mounted when Barkatullah Chapal deprived his side of a certain goal midway through the first half.

The ageing former national player, whose presence had hardly helped the cause of hiS side, got himself in the middle of Ansar box and played as if the role of an opponent defender to stop a goal-bound drive from his teammate Zahid Bisawas. But thanks to a cool and composed Roni. Mohammedans rolled up the match with a winning smile at the end of the

BIMA WIN

Meanwhile, in the first match of the day Sadharan Elma celebrated their first win in the league at the expense of Bangladesh Railway.

Trie insurancemen won the match 2-0 with Chandan and Quareshi notching one goal apiece. Both the goals scored in the first half.

centre forward Kamal.

But apart from Roni s three quick blows, the title-holders showed little finese throughout the proceedings. Especially, in the first half of the day's second match. Mohammedans. though Kte expectedly went ahead of lowly-rated Ansars, time and again failed to find the mark due to poor quality of