Defending champions Mariner Youngs Club remained in the title race of the Premier Division Hockey League after a thumping 9-2 win over Ajax Sporting Club in their penultimate Super-Six stage match at the Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.
Apart from Mariner, Mohammedan Sporting Club and Abahani Limited are the other two teams vying for the 11-team league title after playing 14 games apiece.
Mohammedan, who beat Usha Krira Chakra 6-5 on Tuesday, lead the table with 35 points. They were closely followed by Abahani and Mariner, who each had 34 points.
In their final games of the league on Friday, Mohammedan will face arch-rivals Abahani, while Mariner will take on Police Sporting Club at the same venue.
In Wednesday鈥檚 game, Shohanur Rahman Sobuj (34th, 45th, 56th, 59th) and Sudeep Chirmako (first, ninth, 23rd) of India each struck hat-tricks, while Minul Islam Koushik (fifth) and captain Fazle Hossain Rabby (41st) added other two goals for Mariner.
Promod Dewan (36th) and Imteaz Ahmed Rubel (50th) pulled two goals back for Ajax SC, who lost all five games at the Super-Six stage.