CHENNAI: Karnataka, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh registered important victories at the ongoing Hockey India Junior Men’s National Championship in Coimbatore on Sunday. Meanwhile, Manipur and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Damand & Diu shared the spoils on the same day.
The day began with Karnataka securing a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Bengal. After Suraj Kumar Sah (11') handed Bengal the lead, Pradip Mandal restored parity with a goal just before halftime (30+'). Nitesh Sharma (38') then put Karnataka ahead before Pradip Mandal struck again (51'). Achaiah MM (49') also found the scoresheet for Karnataka. Bengal fought back late through Rasin Aind (58') and Abed Lugun (60'), but Karnataka held on to claim all three points.
In another closely contested fixture, Jharkhand edged Delhi 4-3. Sabian Kiro gave Jharkhand an early lead in the 4th minute before Prabhjot Singh (40') levelled the scores for Delhi. Sabian Kiro completed his brace (47'), while Sujeet Kerketta (48') and Ghuran Lohra (58') extended Jharkhand's advantage. Delhi mounted a late comeback through Nishant, who scored twice (52', 60'), but Jharkhand held firm to seal the victory.
The third match of the day saw Manipur and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu play out an entertaining 4-4 draw. Ricky Tonjam (33') and Amarjit Singh Ningombam (37') gave Manipur an early advantage before Yumkham Bidyananda Singh struck twice (47', 52'). Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu responded with four goals in the final quarter through Moohamed Jaeed (45'), Sumit Rajbhar (50'), Sami Rizwan (53') and Himanshu Yadav (55') to earn a share of the points.
In the final fixture of the day, Madhya Pradesh registered a convincing 4-0 victory over Tamil Nadu. Rajveer Singh starred with a brace (4', 59'), while Navin Ekka (12') and Sohil Ali (27') also found the back of the net to complete a dominant performance.
Results Odisha bt Manipur 4-1; Haryana drew with Madhya Pradesh 2-2
