CHENNAI: The homecoming for the Chennai Cheetahs was bitter as they lost 2-4 to Mumbai Marines in a rather lax encounter of World Series Hockey match at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Tuesday. Thus was arrested the momentum Cheetahs seemed to have gathered in the league.
It couldn’t have got sweeter for Mumbai, as the registered their second win of the league. That they riposted from a goal in arrear attests to their insurmountable will. Despite being dented by the absence of their influential retinue of national players and a lethargic start to their campaign, they signified their willingness to defy those demons.
The central figure in the opening quarter was Imran Warsi, the pony-tailed Pakistani. First, his accurate flick lent the Cheetahs the lead in the second minute, and took his tally to seven in the league.
Few minutes later, when Marines were still struggling for rhythm, he warded off the latter’s first breach into their arc. However, the full-back’s clumsiness awarded a penalty corner for Marines, which Devinder Walmiki thundered in. Thereafter, Marines gradually wrestled back into the contest and attacked with more vigour. That their resurgence heralded with the introduction of Viren Rasquinha wasn’t a mere coincidence.
A second goal seemed imminent for Marines, and Anup Anthony’s searing reverse flick in the second quarter handed them the lead. Even as his teammates were vouching for a penalty corner, perhaps distracting the whole set of players in the circle, an opportunistic Anup unleashed a shot so stinging in momentum that Cheetah’s goalkeeper Jasbir Singh was speechless. The contest seemed insidiously slipping away from their hands.
And so it was, Ajmer Singh deflected home a penalty corner to enhance their lead. But the match would have sprung into life had Veersamy Raja converted the chances that beckoned. The first, a meaty thud, was adeptly blocked by D’Souza before his out-stretched stick couldn’t steer in a sumptuous cross from Hamza Mujtaba. D’Souza summoned another reflexive save to deny Cheetah’s a penalty corner. The hosts were further pushed back when Bimal Lakra tucked in another short-corner towards the end of the quarter.
From as perilous as juncture as this, Cheetahs required something extraordinary to pull off a heist. But their tired limbs couldn’t match their mind’s whim. Though they cut the deficit to two goals through Sunil Yadav in the 67th minute it was too late for a comeback, and a squandered penalty corner didn’t help their case.
Lions Prevail
Bangalore: Drag- flicker Len Aiyappa scored a hat-trick as hosts Karnataka Lions notched up a convincing 3-2 victory over Chandigarh Comets here on Tuesday. Lying at the bottom of the table after three losses, Karnataka bounced back in style with a dominating performance with Aiyappa (12th minute, 20th, 27th) scoring all the three goals for his team. Chandigarh Comets, scored through Ramandeep Singh (38th) and Bharat Chhikara (63th).
Results: Mumbai Marines 4 (Devinder Walmiki 10, Anup Anthony 23, Ajmer Singh 41, Bimal Lakra 50) bt Chennai Cheetahs 2 (Imran Warsi 2, Sunil Yadav 67).
Karnataka Lions 3 (Len Aiyappa 12, 20, 17) beat Chandigarh Commets 2 (Ramandeep Singh 38, Bharat Chhikara 63).
