Air India, with a fair sprinkling of former internationals, drubbed Comptroller and Auditor General 5-1 in their opening Pool B match of the Dabang Mumbai 50th Bombay Gold Cup hockey tournament here today.
In an earlier game, Indian Navy led 4-2 against Western Railway, before the latter pulled off a 4-all draw in Pool C.
Ebullient centre forward Joga Singh notched up a brace of goals for Air India, who led 2-1 at half time before pumping in three more goals within fifteen minutes of resumption to put the issue beyond CAG.
AI, who are runners-up in the Mumbai Super League, got their other goals - all field efforts - via ex-India players Birendra Lakra, Sameer Dad and Vikram Pillay.
The losers scored the equaliser against the run of play through Naeemuddin Mohammad but beyond this one instance, they were hardly in the picture.
CAG can still make the quarter finals having beaten Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers in their opening game.
AI ran roughshod over their rivals with their speedy thrusts and better co-ordination.
Joga gave them the lead in the 5th minute with an angular shot off a diagonal pass from Nirmal Chinappa that came to him off the goalkeeper's pads.
AI were surprised when CAG drew level in the 30th minute when Naeemuddin scored off a centre from the right. But the airmen took the lead again a minute before the interval when a free Lakra sounded the board from the top of the circle.
Crossing over, it needed a six-minute spell from AI to seal their rivals' fate. Dad shot home from the top of 'D when a CAG defender failed to cut off a centre and then in the next minute Joga scored from close off a centre from V S Vinaya.
Pillay completed the rout five minutes later with another field effort.
In the other game Navy, with goals from Jugraj Singh, Rana Pratap and Nitesh (2) led 4-2 before Railways drew level by notching up goals in the last five minutes through Amit Rohidas and Rajin Kandula.
For Western, who led 2-1, Chinglensana Singh and Kandula scored the first two goals.
