LAHORE, Dec 24: Six matches were decided on the first day of the fifth Punjab Under-17 Inter-district hockey championship for boys at the National Hockey Stadium on Saturday.

Defending champions Toba Tek Singh started their campaign to defend their title with an impressive 8-0 win over Layyah after leading the first half 6-0.

The match started at 8.30 in the morning when heavy fog made visibility poor.But the organizers continued the match despite the fact the ball was not easily visible to the umpires and members of the jury.

Shahbaz Ali scored three goals (2nd minute 13th and 20th).

Aamir Shahzad (15th), Akbar (21st), Tofeek Arshad (23) , Irfan Aslam (36th) and Ali Hussain (42nd) added one goal each.

In one of the best matches of the day, the champions of 2003 edition, Okara registered 1-0 win over Bahwalnagar. Sajid scored the solitary goal of the match in the 27th minute.

Bhakhar recorded 2-0 triumph over Rawalpindi, also under foggy conditions.

Qamar Abbas (36th) and Faisal Rehman (37th) banged home a goal each. Four goals by Kashif Aslam helped Rahim Yar Khan beat Attock 5-0 in a match in which only one member of jury was present.

Kashif struck in the 2nd, 18th, 34th and 37th minute. Navid Aslam added one in the 10th minute.

Faisalabad also carved out 5-0 win against Pakpattan. Tanvir Javed (13th and 21st), Muhammad Zawar (4th), Hafiz Bilal (30th minute), Rehman Liaqat (32nd minute) were the scorers.

Three goals by Ali Raza propelled Sahiwal to 4-0 win over Khushab.

He struck in the 4th, 39th and the 49th minute while Salahuddin added a goal in the 40th minute. Ten more matches will be played on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the request of Lahore district not to hold their first match against Kasur under foggy condition on Sunday was turned down by the organizers, Lahore district sports officer Athar Saeed Butt told Dawn.

Furthermore, all the 30 districts’ teams participating in the event had been lined up for the formal inauguration of the championship.

They stood for two hours but only to wait for the chief guest, the provincial minister Chaudhary Zaheeruddin.