Ravi Dhaliwal

Nabha,December 31

The decks were cleared for the last four stage with BSF, EME, Punjab Police and Corps of Signals completing the line up in the 34th All India Liberals hockey tournament here today. EME entered the field as the favourites and quite efficiently lived up to their billing and won 2-0. EME slotted in goals through Suleiman Hereng and Biju Singh. In fact the early goal by Hereng from a penalty corner sequence rattled the ITBP.

True, they ventured to force the pace but, in the process sacrificed the harmony needed to break the rival defence controlled exceedingly well by veteran pivot S Barla. After the monotonous match, the proceedings were lit up by the Punjab Police versus Western Central Railway, Jabalpur encounter. Stunned by a third-minute goal, Punjab Police enmeshed themselves in a rash of errors and just about managed to level the score from a penalty corner converted by Jugraj Singh.

Things started getting a bit rough but the umpires did well to ruffle frayed tempers as Jugraj smashed in his and his teams’s second goal through yet another penalty corner-the speed and accuracy of which blinded the defense. In other matches of the day, a fighting CISF, Chandigarh went down fighting to Corps of Signals 1-2 while BSF triumphed against Ropar Hawks 5-2.