Star-studded Air India lifts the Prestigious MHA Super League for the year 2009/2010

Monday, April 05, 2010: Though Air India split points against Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in their last league tie played today at the Mahindra Stadium, Churchgate, that crucial point was enough for the team to win the MHA Super division honours.

The fancied Air India, which recently won the Obaidullah Khan Gold Cup, were at one stage of the play time were down by brace of goals (0-2), but managed to come up with trumps in the last quarter of the play time, that ensured them the top honours.

However, after halftime, Air India came up with an inspired performance to nullify the deficit, even coming close to win the match.

Air India had all win record garnering 27 points from 9 wins in the long drawn out MHA Super Division League.

ONGC and Western Railways were at equal with 22 points each. W.Rly had completed their matches, ONGC had to win or draw for the runner up spot ONGC were lucky to get away with a draw coming to the tie ONGC started on a offensive mode from the word go. ONGC was high on confidence, as it had beaten Air India in the last edition.

The airmen’s sitting pretty well on the winners seat, ONGC wanted to salvage some pride by handing them a defea and found the lead in the 24th minute by defender Baljinder Singh who converted an indirect Penalty Corner thanks to a brilliant dummy set up by recent World Cupper, ace drag flicker Diwakar Ram (1-0). Charged up by their earlier feats ONGC continued their attacks.

Seven minutes later a well combined more by Pramod Kumar and Mandeep Antil led to the later striking from close range (2-0). The airmens were not getting into rhythm and failing to create gaps up front which led them down. After exchange of ends the airmens pulled up their sleeves and reconstructed their moves, and pulled back one in the 46th minute through indirect penalty conversion conversion by Victo Singh (1-2)

In this keenly contested tie, Airmen’s missed fine chances. ONGC defence played a pivotic role especially Olympian Harpal Singh, goalkeeper Dinesh Ekka thwarting airmen’s strikers at key moments of the game. Airmen found the much needed equalizer in the dying minutes of the play. In the 64th minute a brilliant penalty corner variation enabled Olympian Vikram Pillay to enlist his name in the scorer’s list.

Air india won Rs.,75,000/- and glittering rolling trophy.

ONGC had to contend with Rs,.50,000/- and a trophy

Western Railway were third and got a purse of Rs.20,000/- for the spot.