Punjab beat Chandigarh for bronze

Chandigarh, June 25 

Punjab edged out Chandigarh 2-1 to win the bronze medal in the men’s hockey National Championship (Division A) in Lucknow today. 

Last year’s runners-up Punjab drew first blood, scoring as early as in the ninth minute when Baljinder Singh converted a penalty corner. Sarbjit Singh doubled their lead at the end of the second quarter to take them into halftime with a two-goal lead.After a goalless third quarter, Damandeep Singh pulled a goal back for Chandigarh in the 52nd minute to set up an exciting finish. Buoyed by the goal, Chandigarh pushed hard to get level but Punjab held firm to deny them any more opportunities and took the win to finish third.

Railways defend title

Railway Sports Promotion Board held their nerve in a shootout to beat Punjab & Sind Bank and win the title for the third time in a row. Interestingly, Railways had also won last year’s final, against Punjab, in a shootout.

In a highly competitive final today, both teams started off cautiously, cancelling each other out in the midfield. In a tense and often feisty first quarter, Punjab & Sind Bank struck the first blow through Gaganpreet. He converted a penalty corner in the 15th minute to give them the lead. Three minutes into the second quarter, Amit Rohidas restored parity for the defending champions with a penalty corner conversion.

The teams went into halftime level. Despite a marked increase in energy, neither team could find the breakthrough in the third and fourth quarters, taking the game into the shootout. Punjab & Sind Bank had experience of the shootout, having won one in the quarters. But they couldn't hold their nerve, missing three attempts. Railways, despite missing the first attempt, scored through Raju , Sheshe and Nilakanta Sharma to seal the victory. —TNS