ITBP, RCF play draw in hockey meet

The hockey teams of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Rail Coach Factory (RCF) played a 2-2 draw during the ongoing 1st All-India Senior Men’s Hockey Championship at Oympian Balbir Singh Hockey Stadium here today.

The ITBP lads drew the first blood as Vijay Gond Kuamr netted the opening goal in the 17th minute. After a bit of struggle, the RCF levelled the score through Yogender Rawat, who converted a penalty corner in the 43rd minute. In the 52nd minute, Shubham put the ITBP ahead via field goal, and Kunwardilraj Singh converted a penalty corner for the RCF team in the 56th minute to put the score at par.

In the second match, the Army XI recorded a 3-0 win over AG XI Chandigarh. Roban Singh scored the opening goal in the 29th minute, while Manish Rajbhar (47th, 52nd) posted two, as the Army XI logged an easy win in their third match of the tournament.

The last match of the day between Punjab & Sind Bank and Western Railways also ended in a 3-3 draw. The Railways team gained command by scoring three goals. The side recorded the lead in the 4th minute with Mohit Khushwah sounding the wooden plank. The lead was doubled in the 23rd minute, as Ankit Saini posted a field goal, and three minutes later Pankaj converted a penalty corner. Down to three goals, the bank team bounced back strongly in the match. Skipper, Gautampal Singh (39th) and Jaskaran Singh (45th) gained goals through penalty corner conversions, while Bikramjit Singh scored the equaliser in the 56th minute to draw the match.