19th Balwant Singh Kapur hockey tourney begins

The 19th All India Balwant Singh Kapur Under-19 Boys Hockey Tournament began on Sunday. Padma Shri MP Balbir Singh Seechewal, Guest of Honor, and Dr. Rajesh Kumar, Principal, DAV College, were the chief guests and met the players.

A total of four matches were played between different teams on the first day. The first match of the league-based tournament began at 9.30 am in Pool C. SAIL Hockey Academy, Rurkela, and defeated Jarkhar Hockey Academy 3-2 to win. Rohit Ekka scored two goals and Lelson Minj scored one for the winning team. Arjandeep Singh scored two goals for the Jarkhar team. Rohit Ekka, a player from SAIL Hockey Academy, was named Player of the Match.

The second match in Pool B was played between the Army Boys Sports Company, Bengaluru, and the Shahabad Hockey Academy, Haryana. The two teams finished tied at 3-3. Captain Arjun scored two goals and Raman scored one for the Army team. Sachin, Sahil, and Vishwajeet each scored one goal for the Shahabad Hockey Academy. Arjun from Army Boys Sports Company, Bengaluru, was named Player of the Match.

In the third match of Pool C on the first day, Surjit Hockey Academy defeated SAI NCOE, Sonepat, Haryana, 4-1. Charanjeet Singh and Mandeep Singh scored two goals each for Surjit Hockey Academy. Ankush scored the only goal for the Haryana team. The tournament's champion team will receive a cash prize of 1.50 lakh rupees, the runner-up team will receive 1 lakh rupees, the third-place team will receive 80,000 rupees, and the fourth-place team will receive 60,000 rupees. Mandeep Singh of Surjeet Hockey Academy was selected as the Player of the Match.

The fourth match of the day, played in Pool B between Odisha Naval Tata High Performance Centre and SAI NCOE Lucknow, ended in a goalless draw. Deepak Pradhan of Odisha Naval Tata team was named Player of the Match.

Matches to be played on December 8

Pool A: SGPC Hockey Academy Amritsar vs. Ghumman Hira Riser Hockey Academy Delhi at 9.30 am

Pool D: Namdhari Sports Academy vs. Hockey Himachal Academy at 11.30 am. Pool A: SAI NCOE Imphal vs. Round Glass Hockey Academy Mohali at 1.30 pm. Pool D: Boys Hostel Lucknow vs. Naval Tata Hockey Academy Jamshedpur at 3.00 pm.