Indian Colts pips Punjab and Sind Bank

Sports Reporter

GURGAON: Indian Colts put up a spirited performance to stun defending champion Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) 4-3 in a quarterfinals league match of the Nehru hockey tournament at the Nehru Stadium, here on Friday.

In the Pool ‘A’ contest, Ranjodh Singh drew first blood for PSB in the 11th minute. But the Colts regrouped to fight back and take a 3-1 lead at half-time.

Jai Kiran (22nd and 32nd minutes) shot home twice, while Dharamvir Singh (29th) netted once.

Four minutes into the second-half, forward Gurvinder Singh Chandi reduced the margin for PSB. But the happiness was short-lived as Colts captain Diwakar Ram converted a penalty corner in the 43rd minute to extend the lead again.

PSB’s Mandeep Singh found the target nine minutes before the hooter though the effort could not prevent the Colts from walking away with a win.

Bharat Petroleum rode on Gurpreet Singh’s brace (45th and 58th) to get the better of ONGC XI 2-1 in a close Pool ‘B’ match. K.H. Jayanta (49th) pulled one back for the losing side.

In another Pool ‘B’ encounter, Mayur Subbaiah’s triple-strike (16th, 37th and 52nd) propelled South Central Railways to a 5-3 victory over President’s XI, Bangladesh.

In the goal-feast, Prabhakar Singh (33rd) and Amit Shrivas (57th) were the other scorers for the winning team. S. Mohammad Nannu (14th and 48th) and Rimon Kumar (61st) scored for the Bangladesh side.