Hockey Correspondent

Chennai: There was a flutter which erupted into wild cheering. And the player who evoked this mood among the big holiday crowed on Sunday was Indian’s best known in hockey — Dhanraj Pillay.

As the veteran of many a battle, on and off the field, sauntered in with the Air India team for the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup tournament a section of the crowd went ecstatic.

His presence not only electrified the atmosphere but also inspired Air India, the defending champion, to prevail over the local league champion, Indian Overseas Bank by two goals to nil.

Morale booster

The victory was a morale booster for Air India after its humiliating defeat against ONGC in the opening match. The zest in the team was transparent as the attack slithered into shape thanks to the efficiency displayed by another seasoned campaigner, Sameer Dad, who accounted for two goals within the first quarter.

Supporting the frontline was the crafty wing half V.S. Vinay who figured prominently in almost all the moves. Dhanraj flashed in now and then.

Moments to relish for IOB were few, notwithstanding the stout defence it put up to restrict the rival from scoring in the second half.

Didar Singh accounted for the lone goal for IOC against Army in a tension-packed match that almost ended in chaos.

The Army players lost their cool in the final minute when an appeal for a penalty corner was turned down by umpire Pravin.

They were voluble in their protest and jostled the umpire who had no option but to walk towards the technical table.

The Army team appeared ready to stage a walkout at this point but was persuaded to continue.

Astonishingly, one of the players surged towards Pravin after the match and he was forcibly prevented from assaulting the umpire.

While the incidents in the contest over the quality of umpiring were regrettable, it is incomprehensible why more seasoned and international grade umpires who are in the panel were not marked for this important encounter.

Second win

The second win for IOC, the runner-up last year, enabled the team to take its tally to six points, while Army had to be content with the six earned from three matches now in Pool B.

As a contest it did not move beyond the line of mediocrity. The only point of commendation was the manner in which Army’s goalkeeper P.T. Rao kept the IOC forwards at bay. He brought off several saves, at least five from penalty corners, to deny IOC any confidence in the zone.

Only a stick-check by Rajesh Lakra on Deepak resulted in a stroke which Didar converted without fuss. In the final minutes IOC spurned a couple of easy chances with Preetender and Deepak missing the target.

The Army team’s sallies came in fits and starts. Inducting the seasoned Ignace Tirkey as a centre striker did not improve matters apart from his sinuous runs through the defence.

Arumugam worked hard as always, but the attack did not show the desired measure of harmony to dominate in the needle match.

Easy for BPCL

It took quite a while for the redoubtable BPCL to get a feel of the turf before slipping into a pattern and conquer the challenge posed by Karnataka. The 3-0 margin conveys the ease with which BPCL picked up full points in Pool A. This was BPCL’s first match.

On a warm and sultry afternoon, the teams played at slow pace for the major part.

Midway in the first half, Gurpreet Singh smashed in a penalty corner drive for the lead and the team held on to it till the break.

After the break there was a modicum of aggression in the approach of BPCL for whom the former national star Hari Prasad did the star turn netting a brace.

Karnataka has a solitary point from three matches and faces a slim chance to make it to the semifinals.

The results:

BPCL 3 (Gurpreet Singh, Hari Prasad 2) beat Karnataka 0. HT 1; IOC 1 (Didar Singh) beat Army 0; HT 0-0; Air India 2 (Sameer Dad 2) beat Indian Overseas Bank 0; HT 2-0.

Monday’s matches: IOC v PNB; IOB v ONGC; Air India v BPCL.