Kerala

Jharkhand Pip Kerala 10-1

Express News Service

KOLLAM:  Initial cheers of spectators gave way for disbelief and sorrow by the end of the one-sided hockey match between hosts Kerala and Jharkhand in which the home side was thrashed by Jharkhand by 10 goals to 1. The tussle which was the last of the four matches played at the New Hockey Stadium here on Sunday drew a huge crowd with people carrying flags, flex and drums streaming to the stadium to support the local side. The roaring crowd had something more to rejoice about; The vice-captain of the Kerala team, Sen S L, is a resident of Kollam and is working with the Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited at Chavara here. The initial jolt came when Jharkhand scored their first goal in the second minute of the game. Two minutes later they scored again. From there on it was testing time for the Kerala goalkeeper, Vivek S, with Jharkhand strikers repeatedly testing his skills. On the other side, Kerala remained timid as it lacked skills to penetrate the strong defence of Jharkhand. In the first half, though the moves of Sudheesh P gave some moments of hope to the home team and the crowds, it failed to convert the chances into goals. At half-time, Jharkhand was leading by three goals to nil. In the second half Jharkhand scored consistently and at one time the score card read 9-0. It was only on the 62nd minute that Kerala could net its only goal through its captain Praveen Kumar. The goal helped the dispirited spectators to heave a sigh of relief.  

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