Punjab & Sind Bank win Arjan Singh memorial hockey tourney

Chandigarh, April 30

Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) overcome Indian Air Force (IAF) 12-11 in the tie-break finish final to win the 5th Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial Hockey Tournament at No. 3 Base Repair Depot (BRD) Raghbir Singh Bhola Hockey Stadium today.

The match ended in a 3-3 draw during the stipulated time of 70 minutes. Thereafter, the bank team got the better off the hosts by 9-8 in the penalty shootout.

The PSB lads were lucky enough to get an early lead, as Haramanjit Singh scored a field goal in the 2nd minute. However, the joy was cut-short by the hosts, as they pumped three back-to-back goals. Lovedeep Singh scored the equaliser in the 6th minute by converting a penalty corner, while Davinder Singh extended the lead to 1-2 in the 8th minute through a field goal.

In the very next minute, the IAF found themselves in a comfortable lead as Davinder netted his second for the side to make it 1-3. After four goals in first 10 minutes of the play, the match was brought to a slow pace by the IAF midfielders. The host tried their best to secure the lead at any cost.

However, in the 30th minute, the bank team got a major breakthrough by earning a penalty corner. Rajinder Singh without any mistake broke the deadlock and sounded the wooden plank. After this goal, the PSB lads gained momentum and in the 46th minute, levelled the match through Haramanjit.

Thereafter, the score remained unchanged till the final whistle. And, in the tie-break, the PSB showed their supremacy by scoring through nine chances, while the hosts converted eight chances and missed one.

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, the Chief of the Air Staff, formally declared the tournament closed, and also awarded the winners along with Air Commodore Rajiv Shrivastava, AOC 3BRD and Group Captain Manpreet Singh, Chief Administration Officer 3BRD.

Lovdeep Singh of the IAF was declared as Man of the Match, while Rajinder Singh of PSB was declared as Player of the Tournament. The chief guest also felicitated veteran players including, Dronacharya awardee Dr AK Bansal and Arjuna awardees Prabhjot Singh, Rajpal Singh and Rani Rampal. A total of 12 teams, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka air forces, participated in the tournament.