PHL 2007: Fourth Day, the 7th Jan 2007.

Match No.6 (Bangalore Lions vs Hyderabad Sultans)

Lions hammer Sultans; Steelers ease past Veerans

Chennai, Jan 7: Bangalore Lions tore apart Hyderabad Sultans to shreds with a 3-0 result in the Premier Hockey League at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Sunday. In the second match, Orissa Steelers proved too good for Chennai Veerans, holding off a late charge to seal a 2-1 win.

Rehan Butt, Sander Van Der Weide, and Len Aiyappa found the mark for the Lions after a goal-less first half, but the Sultans were lucky to escape a worse mauling as the Lions missed six of their eight penalty corners, and several other chances.

After squandering the first six penalty corners, the Lions suddenly sprang to life after striking in the seventh; drag-flicker Len Aiyappa dummied to Gurpreet Singh, whose shot was defended poorly. The ball came nicely for Rehan Butt, who scooped into the net.

The goal, which came in the 49th minute, sparked life into the proceedings. Until then the match was a mostly uneventful affair, and although the Lions looked the better team, they never looked like scoring. But the goal energized them and the Sultans took a battering from then on. Nine minutes later, Dutchman Sander Van Der Weide found himself unmarked at the top of the ‘D’ off a pass from the left. Sander took his time and fired in a sizzler that found no answer from goal-keeper Devesh Chauhan.

The Sultans could never regroup as their strikers could not combine well enough to craft a clear shot at goal, and all of Vikram Pillay’s efforts in the midfield went in vain. Striker Shakeel Abassi made some forays but was effectively shut out by Len Aiyappa in the defence. The Lions, on the other hand, had no such problems as Rehan Butt, Hari Prasad and Tushar Khandekar in the frontline were kept busy by livewire Arjun Halappa.

The third goal came in the 63rd minute. Len Aiyappa, who was off-target in most of his earlier attempts, finally made amends with a direct hit into the boards to make it 3-0. The score would have ended 4-0 had not Tushar Khandekar, who ran through the Sultans’ defence in the last minute, failed to send the ball into an open goal.

The Lions’ Pakistani striker Rehan Butt was adjudged ‘Lion of the Match’, a well deserved award, for he had created plenty of trouble in the Sultans’ defence.

PHL 2007: Fourth Day, the 7th Jan 2007.

Match No.7 (Match 7: Orissa Steelers vs Chennai Veerans)

Steelers hold off Veerans

Orissa Steelers were too classy for Veerans on Sunday, but had to endure some nervous minutes at the end. For the most part, the Steelers looked in good rhythm, with Dilip Tirkey and Prabodh Tirkey initiating raids from the deep, and allowing their strikers to constantly nip at the Veerans’ defence. The first goal came in the sixth minute, Sunil Ekka stretching to connect a Prabodh Tirkey cross, and that early goal set the tempo for the rest of the match.

The Veerans just could not get hold of the game, outmanoevred as they were in midfield by the guile of Bimal Lakra, Adnan Zakir and Sunil Ekka. The Veerans tried a few forays through Raja and Md Jubair but they were effectively cut down by the two Tirkeys.

The Steelers’ lead was further propped up by a Dilip Tirkey drive off a penalty corner in the 25th minute, and the 2-0 lead at half-time seemed to have affected the Veerans’ morale.

It was only late in the match that they perked up, thanks to a drag flick by Raghunath in the 63rd. The Veerans suddenly looked menacing as they threw everything into getting the equaliser, but with India’s best defender, Dilip Tirkey, in their ranks, the Steelers saw through the final minutes without further mishaps.

Results:

Bangalore Lions bt Hyderabad Sultans 3-0

(49th min: Rehan Butt 1-0; 55th min: Sander Van Der Weide 2-0; 63rd: Len Aiyappa 3-0)

Penalty Corners: Bangalore Lions: 13th, 15th, 30th, 31st, 41st, 42nd, 49 th, 63rd)

Orissa Steelers bt Chennai Veerans 2-1
(Steelers: 6th min: Sunil Ekka; 25th min: Dilip Tirkey; Veerans: 63rd min: Raghunath)

Penalty Corners: Veerans: 45th, 46th, 63rd

Steelers: 4th, 5th, 25th, 40th.