M.No.33

DAY 17: Saturday 17.3.2012:

Shers on a rampage as Badshahs face the heat

It seems nothing can stop the gigantic Sher-e-Punjab in their majestic stride in the Bridgestone World Series Hockey. Though, today against Bhopal Badshahs, an easy win could have turned sour for Sher-E-Punjab as they allowed the visitors to score two quick goals in two minutes in the dying session. In the end, the clock ticked away in favour of the host as they eventually notched their sixth win in the league with a 4-3 margin, but the air was thick with tension at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium here on Saturday.

The Shers are perched at the top with 19 points from nine matches and the Badshahs are behind them with 13 points in second spot, but this tournament is still wide open for the other contenders. This was Shers’ second back-to-back win in high-scoring matches – they have struck nine goals in their previous two matches and conceded five against, but they would stay warned against complacency.

The home team comfortably led 4-1 midway through the third quarter, but had to work hard to safeguard their citadel to end the day with a narrow win. Never the ones to give up, the Badshahs stuck twice in the last two minutes, but a draw remained a distant dream for the visitors. More than the goals, margin and points, the manner in which the Shers come out in tight situations, converting half chances into full, repulsing the Badshahs relentless counters, easily makes them a team to be envied in the Bridgestone WSH.

Shers forwards came with their guns blazing in the third quarter, striking a brace of goal in as many minutes to add to the lone first half goal of Inderjeet Singh. This phase turned the tables on the visitors, who till then matched every move of the Shers and were determined to make a match of it. The Shers blitzkrieg started five minutes into the second session. Harpreet’s penalty corner shot hit the left post and spun back into play. Mandeep Antil sighted the ball early, and whacked it with a fierce forehand, the ball landed crashing on the back net. A minute later, old war horse and ‘man-of-the-match’ Gagan Ajit Singh relished a goalmouth melee to enter his name on the scoreboard in the 42nd miniute. Mathew Hotchkis jumped full length to divert a high ball for Shers’ fourth goal, their lone goal in the final quarter in the 58th minute.

Badshahs had plenty of problems in converting penalty corners and it reflected on the result. Despite wasting all but one – credit to Shailendra Bundela, who struck one minute before the hooter – the forwards were good enough to reply thrice. Lalit Upadhyay’s reverse shot that got past goalkeeper Sukhjeet Singh in the 67th minute was a delight to watch. Earlier, Badshahs’ Kiwi import, Casey Henwood struck the first goal for them in the 46h minute when the match seemed to be slipping from their hands. Overall, the Badhshah had themselves to blame for wasting numerous sitters in the first half while the Shers consolidated their kitty at regular intervals after taking the lead late in the first half.

M.No.34

DAY 17: Saturday 17.3.2012:

Cheetahs cruise as Lions stay caged

There was a sense of urgency on both sides but only one team showed method in their crucial clash. Cheenai Cheetahs, showing signs that they have the goods to win the inaugural Bridgestone World Series Hockey, beat Karnataka Lions 4-1 in the last match of the day, to leap to the second position in the league here at the KSHA Stadium. It was Cheetahs goalkeeper, junior India international Santosh Kumar, who deserved the credit most for showing his team the way forward with some brilliant saves.

The talented youngster made the difference between two equally fighting sides – defending an Arjun Halappa’s forehand from the right side of the circle and a similar stunner from the middle of the circle from Ravi Pal Singh, which could have wracked havoc. The ‘wall’ would not budge, leaving his forwards to carry out the demolition job at the other end.

The reliable Vikram Pillay (13th minute), drag-flicker Imran Warsi (33rd minute), the speedy Adam Sinclair (42nd minute) and Sivamani (67th minute) availed their chances to put the Cheetahs on the scoreboard while Vinayak Bijwad (35th minute) replied through penalty corner in the wee moments of half-time.

The deadlock was broken through a penalty-stroke, the seventh of the tournament. Joseph Reardon and Peter Kelly ran hand in hand in a counter attack, entered the D only to be stick-checked in front of open goal. The indefatigable Vikram Pillay placed the resultant stroke to the side netting on the right and then with folded hands saluted the crowd, evoking an aesthetic ambience.

Devesh Chauhan, who took the sting out of Imran Warsi in the first penalty corners, who also had a nasty collide earlier and had to take long rest in the bench, came back timely to torment the Olympian goalkeeper. Warsi’s trade mark acute drag stunned Chauhan, and the Cheetahs were up with two goals.

Jarnail Singh on the left flank got a penalty corner reward for his repeated circle entries dot on lemon time. Len Aiyappa was anything but what he promised in the beginning of the tournament, but the young and opportunistic Vinayak Bijwad trapped the rebound from the goalie and sent in, much to the relief of vocal stands, to give Lions a 1-2 halftime score.

Ravi Pal Singh and Halappa tried themselves, and also set up others for goals after resumption, but the goals were hard to come by. It instead went to their rivals.

In a scramble the athletic Sinclair intercepted a perfect pass across the width of the circle, and turned a bit before effecting whirlwind of a forehand. This 42nd minute goal from the Cheetahs spurred the Lions to exert that extra bit and came many times close to scoring.

Even as the Lions were wasting their chances, Sinclair stole the show with a forehand push that caught both the chasing Aiyappa and charging Chauhan napping for what seemed Cheetahs’ fourth goal, but it was disallowed after the referral, as Vikas Sharma’s hit that Sinclair trapped was found to be dangerous.

But the Cheetahs struck again two minutes before the hooter much to the agony of the Lions supporters. In a triangle move, Sinclair supplied a pass to Shivamani, who earlier got a green card for a wrong tackle on Ravi Pal Singh, tapped it in front of a charging Chauhan, to increase the agony for the Lions.