Nailbiting victory for W Rly
THE Railways had a great day at the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA)-Mahindra stadium in Churchgate on Wednesday as Western Railway and counterparts Central registered impressive wins in the MHA 200809 Super League. Western clinched a 4-3 thriller against Indian Navy, while Central won a hard fought battle against RCF 1-0.
The clash between Western Railway and the Navy outfit was a battle of two halves. Navy, who had taken the lead in each of their previous two defeats, ran into a 1-0 lead with Sajit Lakra converting their first penalty corner indirectly in the 20th minute. Western won four penalty corners on the trot in the first-half, but the equalizer continued to elude them.
Gursev Singh though fired Western right back into the game early in the secondhalf, as he converted a penalty corner with a dragflick. Five minutes later, Jayesh Jadhav fired a brace to put Western right on top with a 3-1 lead. But the Navy men came roaring back, as Bittu Shirgoka cashed in on a defensive lapse to fire in a loose ball in the 58th minute. Ajay Kumar then tapped a rebound pass from a Western defender in the 66th minute to level the game at 3-3. But two minutes from the final hooter, Hardeep Singh fed a bisecting pass to striker Chandrakesh Kumar, who guided the ball into the back of the wooden cage to deliver Navy a cruel third straight defeat. Ajaz Qureshi scored the solitary goal for Central Railway in their first win in the league.