Tuesday’s contests at the Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey were an indication of Orissa’s burgeoning talent pool and Punjab’s ebbing dominancy . A side packed with youngsters, Orissa XI played splendidly to stretch defending champions BPCL. BPCL eventually won the match 4-3, but it required a penultimate minute penalty stroke. In contrast, Namdhari, succumbed 6-1 to Air India, the most accomplished of all teams.
What was perceived as a cakewalk for BPCL, turned around when Orissa skipper Amardeep Ekka equalised in the 20th minute. Orissa’s youngsters rattled BPCL with their blistering speed and delightful passing. Matthias Minz, especially , was a live wire on the right flank while Dilip Kerketta, with his deft stick-work, made hockey look simple. But the task was to sustain their resilience. Even against Air India, they showed much pluck in the first half, only to get drubbed in the latter. Pouncing on a counter-attack, Minz and Kerketta harmonised a series of gorgeous passes, ghosting half the BPCL players, before Kerketta thudded the ball past Ajay Sahora’s flailing stick. The goal summed up the side’s resourcefulness and pluck. However, the last five minutes the boys were tense.
Aiyamma’s 67th-minute equalizer set in more panic. Capitalising on this bout of concentration lapse, BPCL players swarmed the Orissa ‘D’. Though their defenders thwarted many chances, Alok Barla’s moment of absolute foolhardiness undid all their good work. He needlessly kicked the ball inside the ‘D’ in the final minute. Prabhdeep drove home the resultant penalty stroke to take BPCL to the semis.
Namdhari XI caved in 6-1 to Air India, who cemented their stake as the tournament frontrunner with another masterly show. But for sporadic excursions into Air India’s territory , Namdhari did nothing to prove their worth in the first half. Air India, on the other hand, looked like the most settled side in the tournament.
RESULTS Air India 6 (Arjun Hallapa 17, 24, Sandeep Singh 16, 21, Bruno Logun 33, 57) bt Namdhari 1 (Karamjeet Singh 62), BPCL 4 (Amar Aiyamma 11, 67, Prabhdeep Singh 62, 15) bt Orissa XI 3 (Amardeep Ekka 20, Dilip Kerketta 55, 61)