Match No. 49

Day 25: Tuesday 27.3.2012:

Strykers shock Shers with 3-2 victory

The see-aw battle continues in the inaugural Bridgestone World Series Hockey as Pune Strykers stunned table toppers, Sher-E-Punjab, 3-2 here on Tuesday. The win allowed the Strykers a re-entry into the top-four in the league but they may have to settle for the fifth place depending on the oscillation in the Badshahs-Lions tie, the other match of the day.

For a team that impressed in the first round but slipped to mediocrity, the 3-2 win against the title favourites today will no doubt boost their side tremendously though their fans may fear that the wake-up call has come a bit too late. However, in tune with the latest trend in the league of the losing team striking first before losing steam continued here. Shers’ young star Bikramjit Singh stunned the home crowd, converting the first penalty corner to post the first goal of the match, but the Strykers came back strongly with some exhilarating display of grit and skill.

Livewire Vikas Pillay, who moments before had missed a sitter set up by Argentine import Mario Almada, was accurate in his penalty stroke to get the equalizer. The stroke was awarded after PC expert Gurpreet Singh’s drag flick hit Mathew Hotchkis on the right leg. The hosts could have added another before the end of the first quarter but the goal was disallowed after a video referral. Almada had bounced on to a rebound to strike the ball into the goal but the video referral turnd it down on the ground that Almada’s push had struck the foot of team-mate Roshan Minz before crossing the goal line.

But a rival’s leg came to the rescue of the Strykers shortly. Gurpreet Singh’s next penalty coner hit Shers’ Prabhdeep Singh Powar on his left leg and got deflected into the net. A couple of minutes later, Gurpreet Singh struck a gem of a PC conversion to put the Strykers ahead 3-1.

Unlike the second quarter which in every sense belonged to the Strykers, th second half witnessed a sea-change in the Shers’ approach. They came all out and earned half-a-dozen penalty corners, but they were stonewalled by the Strykers goalkeeper and his band of defenders. Gagan Ajit Singh then reduced the margin with just seven minutes left for the hooter.Strykers’ Gurpreet Singh, instead of negotiating on his own which proved his team’s undoing in the second session, mispassed to Gagan on the circle line. The opportunistic Sher stryker pounced on the open chance and aimed right into the right corner of the net where it landed after hitting Vikas Pillay’s stick. The favourites had a golden chance to equalise after bagging a PC seconds before the hooter but they lacked precision, and the Strykers managed to surivive those tense moments.

Match No. 50

Day 25: Tuesday 27.3.2012:

It’s Len’s show in the Lions vs Badshah tie

Len Aiyappa’s breathless solo act – a stunning hat-trick – took the winds out of the Badshahs’ sail in their crucial match in the Bridgestone World Series Hockey here on Tuesday. For the record, Karanataka Lions beat Bhopal Badshahs 5-2 and further cement their place for the semifinals but their classic contest will be remembered for the exemplary performances of the three stalwarts – Arjun Halappa, Aiyappa and Badshahs’ Pakistani import, Waseem Ahmad.

Each one of them scored one or more classic, textbook goals to lift the match to a superlative level though Aiyappa’s three out of three in the penalty-corners struck a chord which will be talked about by both the cognocenti and connoiseurs for a long time.

After Arjun Halappa posted a beauty of goal that broke the deadlock in the 26th minute, Aiyappa set the Aisbagh turf on flame in sync with his killer status. He struck each of them in style, first one on the right corner of the net, second in the middle and the third almost on the left. His third stunner, which came after the Badshahs threatened with a brace, doused whatever fire the home team had in its belly.

Veteran Waseem Ahmad and young gun Affan Yousuf combined effectively to give long spells of torrid time to Karnataka Lions in the first quarter which though remained barren despite the hosts getting numerous chances to go up, including two precious penalty-corners.

With Karan Baskaran on the bench, Baljinder Singh proved woeful in both the penalty corners and his counterpart Devesh Chauhan looking in form, the Lions were quick to smell their hunt.

Halappa showed his artistic touch as he converted a goal with a high scoop over the head of custodian Balljit Singh after poumcing on a half-chance – it was a pass from the young Naveen Kumar into the circle. Then, Aiyappa took charge of the assault.

To thei credit, the Badshahs tried to fight tooth and nail to retrieve the situation. Waseem Ahmed flummoxed the entire defence in a penalty corner drill to infuse life into the Badshahs, his long delayed scoop was almost a replay of Halappa’s feat in the first half. Karan Baskaran struck off the sixth penalty-corner, the ball smashing into the net between ’keeper Chauhan and Aiyappa on the right, but he failed thrice in the last 10 minutes that proved costly in the end.

Naveen Kumar, who earlier played his hand in the first two goals, hit the last nail in the Badshahs’ coffin, tapping in a rebound from goalkeeper Baljit Singh. The Lions’ larger-than life fightback in the league, specially Aiyappa’s single-handed destruction of his opponents, have made them a marked team now. They will be watched carefully by all their opponents in the league.