MP Academy thrash HP, enter quarters

Hosts Madhya Pradesh State Hockey Academy (MPSHA) entered the quarterfinals of the 63rd Rangaswami Cup Senior National Men’s Hockey Championship by crushing Himachal Pradesh 11-1. With this, MPSHA has become the first team to book a berth in the quarterfinal.

Surendra Gaur (17th and 66th minutes), Upendra Pillai (24th and 41st minutes), Vikash Choudhary (31st and 53rd minutes), Rana Pratap Singh (42nd and 47th minutes) and captain Shailendra Bundela (44th and 54th minutes) scored two goals each while Kaushlendra Bundela (61st minute) hit a goal for MPSHA.

At the breather, MPSHA led 3-0 in the match played at the Aishbagh Stadium here yesterday.

In the second half, MPSHA played an attacking game, which helped its players to score eight more goals including six in a span of just 13 minutes, and took a formidable lead of 11-0.

The lone goal for Himachal Pradesh was scored by Gaurav Kumar in the 67th minute and minimised the margin 1-11.

In another fixture, Bhopal trounced Chhattisgarh 5-1. Asad Kamaal (42nd and 53rd minutes) and Suleman (46th and 68th minuets) scored two goals each while Aftabuddin (30th minute) hit a brilliant field goal for Bhopal.

For Chhattisgarh, Khogeshwar netted the ball in the 65th minute. At the breather, Bhopal led 1-0.

In other matches, Chandigarh beat Vidarbha 10-0, Uttar Pradesh routed Vidharbha 6-1, Maharashtra beat Rajasthan 4-0, Tamil Nadu humbled Madhya Pradesh 5-0 and Punjab defeated Hyderabad 2-1. — PTI