Neeta Club of Rampur secure berth in semis

Our Sports Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 22

Neeta Club of Rampur prevailed over Shere Club of Sultanpur (5-4) in the third round match to advance into the semi-final of the Seventh Prithipal Singh Coca-Cola and Avon Cycles Hockey Festival being organised by the Mata Sahib Kaur Hockey Academy at Jarkhar village on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla Road, 20 km from here.

Sultanpur outfit dominated the proceedings initially and surged ahead in the very third minute of the game through Navpreet Singh. However, two minutes later, Sukhjeet Singh of Rampur restored parity.

Jasvir Singh of Sultanpur struck in the 11th minute to put his side into the lead again, while Gurbhej Singh of Rampur scored the equaliser seven minutes later.

Rampur players gained lead in the 21st minute, when Kulwinder Singh sounded the board to make it 3-2. They increased the lead in the very next minute through Rajinder Singh (4-2).

Their joys, however, were short-lived as Shere Club of Sultapur levelled the score immediately as Dharamvir Singh and Gurdeep Singh found the target in quick succession (4-4).

In the last quarter, Rampur players exhibited good stick work and ball control, which forced Sultanpur fighting against the wall. With a few minutes to go for the long whistle, Amandeep Singh of Rampur scored an excellent goal which also sealed Sultanpur’s fate (5-4).

With this victory, the winners secured 15 points from three matches and booked a place in the semi-finals.

In the second match, Grewal Club of Kila Raipur outperformed Guru Gobind Singh Club of Buttar, Moga (7-4) to enter the quarterfinals.

Kila Raipur men established a 4-2 lead at half time.

For the winning side, Navjot Singh and Sukhpal Singh scored two goals each, while Balwinder Singh, Narinder Singh and Jagjit Singh accounted for one goal each to complete the tally. For the losers, Gurpreet Singh contributed two goals, whereas Pargat Singh and Yugraj Singh chipped in one goal each.

Grewal Club accumulated 10 points to qualify for the quarterfinals and the losers despite the defeat, made it to the knock-out phase.

In the sub-junior section, Sant Fateh Singh Academy of Dolan beat Bahadurgarh XI 6-2.

Sant Seechewal to promote hockey with Jarkhar Academy 

Renowned environmentalist Padma shri awardee Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal has offered to work with the Jarkhar Academy for the promotion of hockey in this region. He was addressing the players while presiding over the hockey festival proceedings at Jarkhar. He said the Seechewal Academy in association with the Jarkhar Academy would chalk out a comprehensive plan to work towards the promotion of the game. He urged the youth to take an active part in sports and keep themselves away from drugs. He appreciated the organisers of the academy at Jarkhar, which had achieved fame in a short period, as a number of its trainees excelled at national-level tournaments and for their outstanding performance, they got jobs in various government departments.