Archive: Senior Men’s National Champ’ship
M Sr Nationals: Day 1: Teams register huge win
Pune (Maharashtra), 7 April 2015: First day of 5th Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship 2015 today saw intense battles. The day started with Hockey Rajasthan’s impressive win over Tripura Hockey by 3-1 and followed by three one-sided matches where Delhi Hockey defeated Assam by 7-2, Hockey Jammu & Kashmir beat Kerala Hockey by 7-2 and Vidarbha Hockey Association defeated Hockey Gujarat by 10-2.
The first match started with impressive game play by Hockey Rajasthan, who outplayed Tripura Hockey by 3-1 in Pool A. Rajasthan dominated through-out the match with their attacking and fast-paced game, without giving much space to their opponents. Pradeep Naruka scored the first goal of the match in 5th minute and gave an early lead to Hockey Rajasthan. In the 22ndminute, Tripura managed to earn a penalty corner, which was converted perfectly by Noor Ul Islam and equalised the score 1-1. After receiving the jolt, Rajasthan players charged with full force on the opposition side and scored two goals to seal their victory. Rajasthan’s Devanshu Rawat scored the second goal for his team in 40th minute and Vishesh Kumar scored the third goal in 49th minute to finish the match at 3-1.
In the 2nd match of the day, Delhi Hockey thrashed Assam Hockey by 7-2 in a Pool B league match dominated by tournament favourite Delhi team. Delhi’s star player Satender Dalal’s spectacular four goals steered his team to victory over Assam team. Though Assam drew the first blood in the match with the help of Rituraj Boro’s impressive field goal in the 2nd minute of the match, Satender’s first goal in the 4th minute not only equalise the score-line, but also brought new energy in the team. In the 27th minute, Simpinder Singh extended the lead by 2-1 by converting a penalty corner and Satender then scored two goals in 33rd and 49th minutes. Substitute Deepak Kumar brought more power to the team when he stepped on the field and scored two back-to-back goals in 41st and 48th minutes giving Delhi a strong hold in the game. Assam players managed to pull their team with Rituraj’s second goal in 52nd minute but it was too late to come back in the game as Assam was trailing by 2-6. Satender’s fourth goal in 60thminute was the final nail in Assam’s coffin and score stood 7-2 by the end of the final whistle.
In the third match of the day, Hockey Jammu & Kashmir thumped down Kerala Hockey by a huge margin of 7-2 in the Pool C league match. Mandeep Singh for Hockey Jammu & Kashmir scored a brilliant hat-trick and led his team to a spectacular win. Mandeep opened the account with his two back-to-back goals in 6th and 8th minutes to give a dominating lead of 2-0. In the 17th minute, Jammu & Kashmir earned a penalty corner and Satwant Singh converted it in the third goal of his team. Kerala managed to score the first goal in 25th minute with the help of Faris Mon. Mandeep scored his hat-trick goal in 34th minute by converting a penalty corner and after five minutes (39th minute), Survinder Singh scored the fifth goal for his team, leading the match by 5-1. In 41st minute, Hockey Jammu & Kashmir earned another penalty corner and Satwant converted it beautifully for the sixth goal. Trailing by 1-6, Kerala’s Faris scored again in 48th minute to give some motivation to his team. In the 56th minute, Survinder scored his second goal and team’s seventh goal to seal the victory by 7-2.
The fourth match saw another defeat by a huge margin as Vidarbha Hockey Association beat Hockey Gujarat by 10-2 in the Pool D league match. Vidarbha captain Imran Sheikh led the attack with his five exciting goals and he was well-supported by Aamir Khan, who scored a hat-trick to register a thumping victory on Gujarat. Imran drew first blood in the 3rd minute and Aamir scored the second goal in the 8th minute to give early jolts to the opponents. From here, the match was totally controlled by Vidharbha Hockey Association and their inspiring captain Imran, who scored the third and fourth goal in 14th and 19th minutes respectively. The fifth goal was added by Rahul Kalakoti in the 22nd minute and Aamir struck again with his two back-to-back goals in 26th and 32nd minutes, extending the lead by 7-0. Taking the opportunity of destabilise the opponents, Shaibaz Sheikh scored the eighth goal in 36th minute for his team, which was followed by skipper Imran’s two more goals in 39th and 46th minute. Trailing by a huge margin of 0-10, Gujarat’s Aashish Dave and Kiran Thapa mustered some courage and scored two consolation goals in 52nd and 59th minutes but the goals came too late in the day for the team. Vidarbha registered a huge 10-2 score-line victory over Gujarat.
Results of the Day
Pool A – Hockey Rajasthan 3 Pradeep Naruka (5min-FG), Devanshu Rawat (40min-FG), Vishesh Kumar (49min-FG) vs Tripura Hockey 1 Noor Ul Islam (22min-PC)
Pool B – Delhi Hockey 7 Satender Dalal (4min-FG, 33min-FG, 49min-FG, 60min-FG), Simpinder Singh (27min-PC), Deepak Kumar (41min-FG, 48min-FG) vs Assam Hockey 2 Rituraj Boro (2min-FG, 52min-FG)
Pool C – Hockey Jammu & Kashmir 7 Mandeep Singh (6min-FG, 8min-FG, 34min-PC), Satwant Singh (17min-PC, 41min-PC), Survinder Singh (39min-FG, 56min-FG) vs Kerala Hockey 2 Faris Mon (25min-FG, 48min-FG)
Pool D – Vidarbha Hockey Association 10 Imran Sheikh (03min–FG, 14min-FG, 19min-FG, 39min-FG, 46min-FG), Aamir Khan (08min-FG, 26min-FG, 32min-FG), Rahul Kalakoti (22min-FG), Shaibaz Khan (36min-FG) vs Hockey Gujarat 2 Aashish Dave (52min-FG), Kiran Thapa (59min-FG)
Central Police force routs Uttrakand 12-0
Pune (Maharashtra), 8 April 2015: The 5th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Hockey Championship 2015 being played in Pune, Maharashtra today saw the domination of the top teams and huge margin victories. The third day started with Manipur Hockey victory over their neighbour state Tripura Hockey by 7-1, followed by Assam Hockey defeated Hockey Andaman & Nicobar by 6-1 and Namdhari XI beat Kerala Hockey by 7-0. In the last match of the day, Central Reserve Police Force thrashed Hockey Uttarakhand by a huge margin of 12-0.
In the first match of the day, Manipur Hockey trounced Tripura Hockey by 7-1 in a Pool A match. Manipuri players showed their extraordinary team-spirit and the whole played with a same kind of strategy of Total Hockey. They dominated the match from the first minute and got any early success in 4th minute when Leejohn Singh scored the first goal for the team. By continuing all-force attack, Ojit Singh extended the lead by his spectacular goal in the 16th minute. After four minutes, skipper Banti Singh scored the third goal for his team and taking the score to 3-0. Trailing by three goals, Tripura showed some resistance and their star player Mohd. Dilsad Khan managed to score team’s first goal in 28th minute. However, after conceding the goal, Manipuri players played with more zeal and scored goals in regular intervals. Abung Singh scored Manipur team’s fourth goal in the next minute (29th minute) and extended the margin by 4-1. Amarjit Singh and Anil Singh converted two penalty corners in 46th and 58th minutes respectively and Hemjit Singh scored a goal in 54th minute to help his team to post a remarkable 7-1 win over Tripura.
In the second match, Assam Hockey thrashed Hockey Andaman & Nicobar by a margin of 6-1 in a Pool B match. Rituraj Boro led from the front and scored marvellous four goals for his team. He opened the account in the 2nd minute of the match to give a positive start. His team-mate Salman Khan scored the second goal in the 17th minute to increase the lead by 2-0. In the 28th minute, Andaman & Nicobar’s Pradeep Dung Dung showed some courage and scored the lone goal for his team. Rituraj continued his attacking game and scored two back-to-back goals in 35th and 39th minute to take the score-line to 4-1. His fourth goal showed his skills in penalty corner as well as his all-rounder abilities. Assam skipper Ratul Ansari played a captain’s game by assisting his team-mates and hit the fifth goal for his team in the 44thminute. Rituraj thumped the final nail in the 47th minute through his inspiring goal and sealed a 6-1 victory over Hockey Andaman & Nicobar.
The third match saw another one-sided match and this time Namdhari XI outplayed Kerala Hockey by 7-0 in a Pool C match. Jaswant Singh initiated the attack with the first goal of the match in 17th minute. In the 23rd minute, Bishan Singh scored the second goal and after two minutes (25th minute), Udhampreet Singh scored the third goal for his team, taking the lead of 3-0. In the 31st minute, Skipper and penalty corner specialist Kuldeep Singh perfectly converted a penalty corner in team’s fourth goal. Star player Avtar Singh scored two back-to-back goals in 42nd and 49th minute and extended the lead to 6-0. Harpreet Singh scored the seventh and final goal in the 59th minute and helped his team to register an astonishing 7-0 victory.
In another league match of the day, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) routed Hockey Uttarakhand by mammoth margin of 12-0 in Pool F. Star player Rajinder Singh scored a marvellous hat-trick and Saroj Ekka scored two goals for his team. CRPF scored their first goal in the very first minute of the match when Mikhal Barla sneaked into the opponent’s D and hit the ball hard into the goal-box without giving any moment to react to the opponents. With the attacking game, CRPF earned a penalty corner in the 7thminute, which was perfectly converted into second goal by Saroj Ekka. In the 15th minute, Bikash Kujur scored the third goal and helped his team to earn another penalty corner in 31st minute. Penalty corner specialist Saroj again converted it and took the score to 4-0. Rajinder Singh, Kuldeep Ekka and Ignicius Toppo scored three back-to-back goals in 34th, 40th and 42nd minutes, increasing the lead to 7-0. CRPF forward players earned another penalty corner in 45th minute and this time substitute Gurjit Singh converted it in team’s eighth goal. Rajinder stroke back with his two goals in 46th and 52nd minutes and completed his unforgettable hat-trick. Leading by 10-0, substitute Balram Dahiya and Rabindra Kujur scored the last two goals in 54th and 57th minute to finish the match at 12-0 score-line.
Results of the Day
Pool A – Manipur Hockey 7 Leejohn Singh (4min-FG), Ojit Singh (16min-FG), Banti Singh (22min-FG), Abung Singh (29min-FG), Amarjit Singh (46min-PC), Hemjit Singh (54min-FG), Anil Singh (58min-PC) vs Tripura Hockey 1 Mohd Dolsad Khan (28min-FG)
Pool B – Assam Hockey 6 Rituraj Boro (2min-FG, 35min-FG, 39min-PC, 47min-FG), Salman Khan (17min-FG), Ratul Ansari (44min-FG) vs Hockey Andaman & Nicobar 1 Pradeep Dung Dung (28min-FG)
Pool C – Namdhari XI 7 Jaswant Singh (17min-FG), Bishan Singh (23min-FG), Udhampreet Singh (25min-FG), Kuldeep Singh (31min-PC), Avtar Singh (42min-FG, 49min-PC), Harpreet Singh (59min-FG) vs Kerala Hockey 0
Pool F – Central Reserve Police Force 12 Mikhal Barla (01min–FG), Saroj Ekka (07min-PC, 31min-PC), Bikash Kujur (15min-FG), Rajinder Singh (34min-FG, 46min-FG, 52min-FG), Kuldeep Ekka (40min-FG), Ignicius Toppo (42min-FG), Gurjit Singh (14min-PC), Balram Dahiya (54min-FG), Rabindra Kujur (57min-FG) vs Hockey Uttarakhand 0
One sided affair continues at Sr National
Pune (Maharashtra), 10 April 2015: The 5th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Hockey Championship 2015 being played in Pune, Maharashtra today saw dominating matches from the top sides and few closely-fought matches in Division B. In the fifth day, Hockey Patiala defeated Chhattisgarh Hockey by 8-2, followed by Dadra & Nagar Haveli Hockey Association edged past Hockey Puducherry by 2-0 and Chandigarh Olympic Association thrashed Hockey Bihar by 6-3. Bengal Hockey Association registered a major victory over Hockey Gujarat, beating them by hug margin of 7-1. In the last match of the day, Hockey Madhya Pradesh stunned Major Port Sports Control Board by 1-0.
In the first match of the day, Hockey Patiala outplayed Chhattisgarh Hockey with a huge margin of 8-2 in a Pool E league match. Patiala’s start player and penalty corner specialist Jagpal Singh scored a hat-trick through penalty corners. His team-mates Ajay Kumar and Harwinder Singh also played brilliantly and scored two goals each for the team. Patiala opened the account in the 4th minute when they earned a penalty corner, which was perfectly converted by Jagpal Singh for his first goal. After six minutes (10thminute), Jagpal converted another penalty corner and increased the lead by 2-0. In the 26th minute, Ajay Kumar dribbled past opponent’s defenders and sent the ball in the goal-box to score third goal for his team. In another penalty corner in 35th minute, Jagpal didn’t give any chance to the opponents and hit the ball hard into the net to score his hat-trick. After two minutes (37th minute), Ajay Kumar scored another goal and took the score-line to 5-0. In the 43rd minute, Harwinder Singh scored sixth goal for his team. Trailing by 0-6, Chhattisgarh mustered some courage and their skipper Upendra Pillay scored the first goal for his team in 50th minute. With this encouraging goal, his team-mate Manish Yadav hit another goal after two minutes (52nd minute) and took the score-card to 2-6. However, after conceding two goals in three minutes, Patiala came back in the game strongly and Manjinder Singh and Harwinder Singh scored one goal each in 53rd and 59th minutes respectively. By the final whistle, Patiala won the match by 8-2.
In a Pool G match, Dadra & Nagar Haveli Hockey Association edged past Hockey Puducherry by 2-0. Though Puducherry players showed some brilliant skills, the whole match was dominated by Dadra & Nagar Haveli who thwarted all the attempts of their opponents and didn’t allow them to score goals. Dadra & Nagar Haveli got their first success in 30th minute when Neeraj scored a brilliant goal for his team and helped his team to take 1-0 lead. In 47th minute, Dadra & Nagar Haveli earned a penalty corner, which was successfully converted by skipper Amrit Kiro extended the lead by 2-0. In the rest of the match, Dadra & Nagar Haveli managed to control the match and eventually registered a 2-0 win over Puducherry.
In another Pool G match, Chandigarh Olympic Association thrashed Hockey Bihar by 6-3 with the help of Gagandeep Singh and Ranwant Singh’s brilliant braces. Chandigarh opened their account with a penalty corner in 4th minute of the match, which was perfectly converted by their star player Gagandeep and took the early lead. In the 22nd minute, Ranjodg Singh extended the lead when sneaked into opponent’s defence and hit ball into the goal-box to second goal for his team. Trailing 0-2, Bihar players counter-attacked on their opponent’s half and Sanjay Tirkey sent the ball in the net to score the first goal for his team. After conceding the goal, Chandigarh’s Ranwant Singh scored two back-to-back goals in 34th and 38th minutes to increase the lead by 4-1. However, in the 45th minute, Bihar managed to earn a penalty corner and Satish Herenj converted it in his team’s second goal. In the 53rd minute, Chandigarh received a penalty shoot-out and this time again, Gagandeep converted it perfectly to score-line 5-2. His team-mate Harwant Singh increased the lead by his brilliant goal just after three minutes (56th minute). Bihar’s Rakesh Roshan Ekka scored the final consolation goal for his team in 60th minute and finished the match at 6-3 score-card.
In the Group D league match, Bengal Hockey Association thumped down Hockey Gujarat by a huge margin of 7-1. Atanu Saha, Pramod Kumar Singh and Suprajit Rakshit led the charge with their braces and win the match for their team. Bengal’s Atanu opened the account with his marvellous goal in the 4th minute of the match. His teammate Mohd. Shoeb Khan extended the lead after he managed to dribble past opponent’s defenders and scored the second goal in 20th minute. In the 33rd minute, Bengal earned a penalty corner and their specialist Pramod Kumar converted it perfectly in their third goal for their team. After six minute (39th minute), Bengal’s star player Suprajit scored his first goal after out-foxing the defenders and sending the ball into the net to take the score-line 4-0. Trailing by four goals, Gujarat players showed some resistance and counter-attacked on their opponents. Aashish Dave took the charge of the attack and scored the first goal for his team in the 48th minute. After receiving the surprise shock, Bengal players Atanu and Suprajit scored two back-to-back goals in 52nd and 53rd minutes respectively and increased the lead to 6-1. Specialist Pramod Kumar stroke back again in 58th minute to score the seventh goal by converting another penalty corners and helped his team to beat Gujarat by 7-1.
In the last match of the day, Hockey Madhya Pradesh struggled hard to beat Major Port Sports Control Board (MPSCB) by a close margin of 1-0 in a Pool H match. Both the teams fought-hard to control the ball and dominate the match, which gave many nail-biting moments to the spectators. With the highly intense game, both the teams didn’t allow their opponent to score goals in the first half. Madhya Pradesh got the break-through in the 47th minute when they managed to earn a penalty corner and their star player Mayank Jemes converted it perfectly in the first goal of the match. In the rest of the match, MPSCB failed to score the equaliser and eventually lost the match narrowly by 0-1.
Results of the Day
Pool E – Hockey Patiala 8 Jagpal Singh (4min-PC, 10min-PC, 35min-PC), Ajay Kumar (26min-FG, 37min-FG), Harwinder Singh (43min-FG, 59min-FG), Manjinder (53min-FG) vs Chhattisgarh Hockey 2 Upendra Pillay (50min-FG), Manish Yadav (52min-FG)
Pool G – Dadra & Nagar Haveli Hockey Association 2 Neeraj (8min-FG), Amrit Kiro (47min-PC) vs Hockey Puducherry 0
Pool G – Chandigarh Olympic Association 6 Gagandeep Singh (4min-PC, 53min-PS), Ranjodg Singh (22min-FG), Ranwant Singh (34min-FG, 38min-FG), Harwant Singh (56min-FG) vs Hockey Bihar 3 Sanjay Tirkey (26min-FG), Satish Herenj (45min-PC), Rakesh Roshan Ekka (60min-FG)
Pool D – Bengal Hockey Association 7 Atanu Saha (4min–FG, 52min-FG), Mohd Shoeb Khan (20min-FG), Pramod Kumar Singh (33min-PC, 58min-PC), Suprajit Rakshit (39min-FG, 53min-FG) vs Hockey Gujarat 1 Aashish Dave (48min-FG)
Pool H – Hockey Madhya Pradesh 1 Mayank Jemes (47min–PC) vs Major Port Sports Control Board 0
Sr Natioanl’s: CISF blanks Uttarakand 14-0
Pune (Maharashtra), 11 April 2015: The 5th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2015 (Div B) being played at Pune, Maharashtra saw three back to back exciting clashes. The teams continued their good form as the day started with a win for Central Industrial Security Force against Hockey Uttarakhand 14-0. This was followed by Hockey Himachal Pradesh who beat Hockey Madhya Pradesh 3-1. The last match proved to be fruitful for Sashastra Seema Bal who defeated Major Port Sports Control Board 7-4.
The opening match of the day witnessed Central Industrial Security Force defeating Hockey Uttarakhand with a huge goal-margin of 14-0. The former dominated the entire match and did not allow the latter to score even a single goal during the match. The initial breakthrough for Central Industrial Security Force came through Neeraj Yadav who scored the first goal for his team in the 13th minute. Following ten minutes later, Sangram Chougle scored the second field goal in the 23rd minute and doubled the lead to 2-0. CISF team did not stop here as Mangra Munda contributed with three goals within the first half in the 27th, 30th and 35th minute. Satish Lama and Compal Lakra scored one goal each in the 29th and 31st minute respectively. The score stood 7-0 in favour of Central Industrial Security Force. Adding two goals each to their personal tally, Neeraj Yadav scored in the 38th and 52nd minute whereas Major Singh contributed in the 43rd and 46th minute through penalty corner conversions that was further supported by Harish Sharma who stroked in the 44th and 47th minute field goals. Just four minutes in the game to end, the 56th minute goal for the team was notched by Nitin Sharma who took the scores to 14-0 and helped Central Industrial Security Force declaring a convincing win over Hockey Uttarakhand 14-0.
It was a close contested match where Hockey Himachal Pradesh defeated Hockey Madhya Pradesh 3-1. The entire match was dominated by Hockey Himachal Pradesh as their initial openings came in the fifth and the sixth minute of the game itself from the stick of Naurvi and Kulwant Singh respectively. Extending the lead further to 3-0, it was Kulwant Singh again who converted a penalty stroke and added the third goal for his team in the 36th minute. Hockey Madhya Pradesh broke through the opponent’s defence in the 60th minute of the game and successfully converted a penalty corner through Devesh Yadav’s efforts. With both the teams unable to add any further goals, Hockey Himachal Pradesh thumped Hockey Madhya Pradesh 3-1.
The last match of the day declared Sashastra Seema Bal as the winners who defeated Major Port Sports Control Board 7-4. As early as in the 2nd minute of the game, Sashastra Seema Bal took the initial lead through a penalty corner conversion by Pradeep Kumar Singh. The lead was short- lived as MPSCB scored an equalizer n the 10th minute by Shridhar Krishnamurthy who levelled the score bat 1-1. Sashastra Seema Bal came into action and scored two goals with the help of Pankajnath Sharma and L. Joy Chandra Singh in the 12th and the 18th minute taking the lead to 3-1. MPSCB answered back in the 25th minute with a field goal by Leonard Perreria but Sashastra Seema Bal bounced back and scored three goals with the support of Pradeep Kumar Singh, H.Surchandra Singh and O. Gunamani Singh in the 34th, 41st and 48th minute respectively. With an aim to reduce the margin, MPSCB scored two back to back goals through Shridhar Krishnamurthy and Digvijay Naik in the 49th and 50th minute respectively. A last minute goal was scored by Vijay Vishwakarma in the 59th minute but it did not prove to be fruitful for MPSCB as Sashastra Seema Bal emerged as the victors of the game with a 7-4 score on board.
Results of the Day
Pool F Central Industrial Security Force 14 Neeraj Yadav (13min- FG, 38min- FG, 52min- FG), Sangram Chougle (23min- FG),Mangra Munda (27min- FG, 30min- FG, 35min- FG), Satish Lama (29min- FG), Compal Lakra (31min- FG), Major Singh (43min- PC, 46min- PC), Harish Sharma (44min- FG, 47min- FG), Nitin Sharma (56min- FG) vs Hockey Uttarakhand 0
Pool H Hockey Himachal Pradesh 3 Naurvi (5min -FG), Kulwant Singh (6min-PC,36min-PS),vs Hockey Madhya Pradesh 1 Devesh Yadav(60min -PC)
Pool H Sashastra Seema Bal 7 Pradeep Kumar Singh (2min-PC, 34 min-FG) Pankajnath Sharma (12 min-PC)L. Joy Chandra Singh (18min -FG), S Suruchandra Singh (41 min-FG), O Gunamani Singh (49 min-FG), VINAY Vishwakarma (59min-FG) vs Manoj Port Sports Control Board 4 Shridhar Krishnamurthy (10min-PC,49min-PC), Leonard Perreria (25min-FG),Digvijay Nayak (50min-FG)
Sr national: HP, Chandigarh, Kamdhari xi and Patia
Pune (Maharashtra), 13 April 2015: The ongoing 5th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2015 (Div B) in Pune today saw the highly intense battles in the quarter-finals where Hockey Himachal, Chandigarh Olympic Association, Namdhari XI and Hockey Patiala showcased their best performance to advance to the Semi-Final match.
In the first Quarter-Final of the day, Hockey Himachal stunned Manipur Hockey by 7-6 (3-3) in Sudden Death after a highly contested match. It was Manipur who drew the first goal when they earned a Penalty Shootout in the 10th minute of the match. Premchand Singh took the shot and hit ball straight into the net to score the first match. After seven minutes (17th minute), Manipur earned a penalty corner, which was perfectly converted by Captain Banti Singh and increased the lead by 2-0. Trailing by two goals, Hockey Himachal charged back with full force and scored three back-to-back goals. Vinod Durga opened his team’s account in 18th minute when sneaked into the opponent’s D and sent the ball into the net. In the 47th minute, Naurvi dribbled past opponent’s defender and hit the ball hard into the goal-box to score the equaliser. After three minutes (50th minute), Ajay Singh scored the third goal for his team and took the impressive 3-2 lead. The match was totally in control of Himachal and they were reaching towards the victory. However, in the 57th minute, Himachal came back strongly and captain Banti scored again after out-foxing the goal-keeper. The match finished at 3-3 and eventually went to Penalty Shoot-out.
In the penalty shoot-out, both the teams finished at draw again at 3-3 (3-3). First two attempts were missed by both the teams as Manipur’s Premchand Singh and Leejohn Singh failed to beat opponent’s goal-keeper. In Himachal’s side, Rocky Lochab and Kulwant Singh couldn’t surpass the custodian. But in the next three attempts, both the teams materialised the opportunities. For Manipur, skipper Banti Singh, Dhananjoy Khangembam and Abung Singh scored goals. On the other side, Hardeep Singh, Ajay Singh and Naurvi scored goals for Himachal and equalised the score once again and took the match to Sudden Death.
Himachal’s Vikas took the first attempt and hit ball hard into the net without giving any moment to react to the goal-keeper. With his winning goal, Himachal players jumped with joy as they made another upset in the tournament and reached the Semi-final where they will face Hockey Patiala.
In the 2nd Quarter-final, Chandigarh Olympic Association thrashed Delhi Hockey by a mammoth margin of 7-0 in the one-sided match. Chandigarh was in control from the first minute of the match and they opened the account in the 18th minute when they earned a penalty corner, which was effectively converted by Gagandeep Singh. In the next minute (19th minute), Harwant Singh stormed into the opponent’s half and scored the second goal for the team. In 28th minute, Balwinder Singh scored the third goal after dribbled-past opponent’s defenders in their half. In the 38th minute, Chandigarh earned a penalty shoot-out and the specialist Gagandeep converted into the fourth goal with an ease. Balwinder stroke back and scored his second goal in the 41st minute of the match. After leading with impressive 5-0, Chandigarh scored the last two goals in 46th and 53rd minute with the help of Gurjinder Singh and Navdeep Singh. With the 7-0 victory over Delhi, Chandigarh reached the Semi-final phase where they will meet Namdhari XI.
In the 3rd Quarter-final, Namdhari XI defeated Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) by 3-2 (1-1) in a match decided by Penalty Shoot-out after 1-1 score-line. It was Namdhari XI who scored the first goal of the match when they earned a penalty corner in 12th minute, which was perfectly converted by Avtar Singh. After conceding the goal, CISF displayed a brilliant performance and kept on attacking on their opponent’s half. After a hard-fight, they got the success in the 60th minute when skipper Cyril Ekka sneaked into the defence line and scored the outstanding equaliser. The match went to the penalty shoot-out and Namdhari XI played as per their strength and converted two attempts into goal with the help of skipper Kuldeep Singh and Bishan Singh. For CISF, only captain Cyril managed to convert an attempt as rest of the players couldn’t beat the goal-keeper. With the 3-2 (1-1), Namdhari XI reached the Semi-Final match, where they will face Chandigarh Olympic Association.
In the 4rth Quarter-Final match between Hockey Patiala and Vidarbha Hockey Association, it was Hockey Patiala who outwitted the opponents to reach the semi-finals tomorrow where they are set to clash against Hockey Himachal. Knowing the importance of today’s match both teams gave a tough fight to each other in the entire of first half wherein the scores were tied at 1-1. Action started in the second half as Vidarbha Hockey Association took the lead in the game in the 44th minute when Akbar Khan deflected the ball into the nets. Hockey Patiala bounced back immediately as in the 47th minute when Amandeep Singh scored the equaliser and score read 2-2. The next minute (48th minute), Hockey Patiala took the lead as Taranjit Singh converted the penalty corner opportunity leaving the opponents stunned. Not giving a chance to Vidarbha Hockey Association to come back into the game Hockey Patiala increased the lead in the 59th minute with Arjun Singh scoring through a field goal. The goal helped seal their fate with a win of 4-2 and advancing to the semi-finals, where they will face Hockey Himachal.
Results of the Day-
QF 1 – Hockey Himachal 3 Vinod Durga (18min-FG), Naurvi (47min-FG), Ajay Singh (50min-FG) vs Manipur Hockey 3 Premchand Singh (10min-PS), Banti Singh (17min-PC, 57min-FG); Penalty Shoot-out – Hockey Himachal 3 Hardeep Singh, Ajay Singh, Naurvi vs Manipur Hockey Banti Singh, Dhananjoy Khangembam, Abung Singh; Sudden Death Hockey Himachal 1 Vikas
QF 2 – Chandigarh Olympic Association 7 Gagandeep Singh (18min-PC, 38min-PS), Harwant Singh (19min-FG), Balwinder Singh (28min-FG, 41min-FG), Gurjinder Singh (46min-FG), Navdeep Singh (53min-FG) vs Delhi Hockey 0
QF 3 – Namdhari XI 1 Avtar Singh (23min-PC) vs Central Industrial Security Force 1 Cyril Ekka (60min-FG); Penalty Shoot-out – Namdhari XI 2 Kuldeep Singh, Bishan Singh vs Central Industrial Security Force 1 Cyril Ekka
QF 4 – Hockey Patiala 4 Ajay Kumar (10min-FG), Amandeep Singh (47min-FG), Taranjit Singh (48min-FG), Arjun Singh (59min-FG) vs Vidarbha Hockey Association 2 Akbar Khan (2min-FG, 44min-FG)
Patiala, Namdhari xi reach final of Sr Nationals
Pune (Maharashtra), 14 April 2015: The ongoing 5th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2015 (Div B) in Pune today in its semi-final stage saw Hockey Patiala being the first team to beat Hockey Himachal to advance to the Finals as they beat the opponents 4-1. The second semi-final match witnessed Namdhari XI beating Chandigarh Olympic Association 3-1 to advance to the Finals to be played tomorrow.
The first Semi-Final between Hockey Patiala and Hockey Himachal saw the former dominating the entire match and registered a convincing win. Hockey Patiala completely dominated the first half as they scored back to back goals not allowing the opponents to open their accounts. Just 10 minutes into the game Hockey Patiala opened its account as Manjinder Singh scored through a field goal. The lead was immediately doubled in the 16th minute as Harwinder Singh did not mistake in cashing on the penalty corner opportunity. Just minute left into the first half Hockey Patiala scored two back to back goals coming in the 29th and 30th minute coming from the sticks of Amritpal Singh and Ajay Kumar respectively leaving Hockey Himachal stunned. Trailing by 4 goals to 0, Hockey Himachal finally strucj their first goal in the 47th minute which was a penalty stroke given to the team. This proved to be the sole goal as they lost the match 1-4 to Hockey Patiala.
In the second semi final match for the day between Namdhari XI taking on Chandigarh Olympic Association wherein the former won the match and marched on to the finals. Namdhari XI created the initial pressure when in the 4th minute Gagandeep Singh scored through a beautiful field goal. post the set-back, Chandiagrh Olympic Association tried to equalise but were unable to cash on the half chances. Just a minute away from the first half to end, Namdhari XI doubled the lead as the Captain Kuldeep Singh scored through a penalty corner. The second saw both teams scoring one goal each, but it was too less for Chandigarh Olympic Association, resulting in Namdhari XI winning the game 3-1 and advancing to the finals.
Results of the Day-
Semi-Finals 1 Hockey Patiala 4 Manjinder Singh (10 mins-FG), Harwinder Singh (16 min-PC), Amritpal Singh (29 min-FG), Ajay Kumar (30 min-FG) vs Hockey Himachal 1 Hardeep Singh (47 min-PS)
Semi-Finals 2 Namdhari XI 3 Gagandeep Singh ( 4 min-FG, 44 min-FG), Kuldeep Singh (29 min-PC) vs Chandigarh Olympic Association1 Lovedeep Singh (52 min-FG)
Sr National (Div B): Namdhari xi claims title
Pune (Maharashtra), 15 April 2015: The final day of the Division-B of the 5th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2015 witnessed two matches played wherein one was for the 3rd / 4th position and the other was the final. The Final match was a one sided affair as Namdhari XI took an easy win over Hockey Patiala to emerge the winners of the Division-B of the 5th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2015. It was Gagandeep Singh four goals helped his team to win the match comfortably. The other match between Chandigarh Olympic Association and Hockey Himachal was an intense clash as the former claimed the 3rd position and the latter having to settle for the 4th. It was the remarkable performance by the Captain Gagandeep Singh whose four goals put the dent in the spirits of the opponents.
The Final match of the Division B tournament was a one sided affair as Namdhari XI registered a convincing win over Hockey Patiala 5-1. Namdhari XI struck just 6 minutes into the all important Final when Gangandeep Singh’s field effort gave the desired results. Trailing by a goal, Hockey Patiala bounced back in the 12th minute as Captain Anil Kumar slammed the ball past the goalkeeper to convert the penalty corner. Post the equaliser goal, Namdhari XI dominated the game as they continued scoring goals and not allowing the opponents to score any further. Before the end of first half, Namdhari XI added two more goals to their tally and ended the session with 3-1 on the board. The second half was the same story as Hockey Patiala were unable to break the shackles and on the other hand gave away two more goals to Namdhari XI as they went on to win the title of the 5th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2015 (Div B).
Having lost the semi-finals match yesterday, Chandigarh Olympic Association met Hockey Himachal for the 3rd / 4th position. Keeping their nerves intact Chandigarh Olympic Association bounced back into the match to claim the match at 5-2. It was Hockey Himachal who started the game on a high they took the initial lead in the 7th minute as Naurvi though a field goal helped his team to open the account. Chandigarh Olympic Association equalised immediately as in the 8th minute as the Captain Gagandeep Singh led from the front to claim the equaliser goal. Hockey Himachal again took the lead in the 18th minute as Vinod Dogra scored for his team. Chandigarh Olympic Association again equalised in the 21st minute leaving the opponents stunned. Chandigarh Olympic Association gave a double blow to Hockey Himachal as they struck twice in 22nd and 24th minute and took the lead in the game 4-2. In the second half while Hockey Himachal looked for the opening to score the much required goals, Chandigarh Olympic Association successfully kept them at bay allowing no scoring opportunities. In the 51st minute Chandigarh added one more goal to their tally and claimed the game 5-2.
Results of the day-
3rd / 4th Position Chandigarh Olympic Association 5 Gagandeep Singh (8 mins-PC, 21 min-PC, 24 min-PC, 51 min-PC), Ranjodh Singh (22 min-FG) vs Hockey Himachal 2 Naurvi (7 min-FG), Vinod Dogra (18 min-FG)
Final Namdhari XI 5 Gagandeep Singh ( 6 min-FG, 16 min-FG, 48 min-FG, 52 min-FG), Avtar Singh (25 min-PC) vs Hockey Patiala 1 Anil Kumar (12 min-PC)