Hockey National C'ship: Karnataka, Punjab, J-K, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Delhi win on Day-3

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], December 13 (ANI): Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Jammu and Kashmir, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Chandigarh, Hockey Rajasthan and Delhi Hockey earned victories in their respective matches on Day 3 of the 11th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship Pimpri Chinchwad 2021 here in Pune.
In the day's opener, Hockey Karnataka beat Le Puducherry Hockey 4-0 in Pool C. Goals for Karnataka were scored by Harish Mutagar (5'), S Deekshith P (25'), Shamanth CS (40') and Pavan Madivalar (49'). With this, Karnataka stay on top of the table with a perfect record.
In Pool C's second game of the day, Hockey Jammu & Kashmir beat Hockey Arunachal 10-3 in a high scoring encounter. A hat trick by Jasprit Singh (13', 19', 33', 44') and a brace each by Karanjit Singh (16', 26') and Manpreet Singh (42', 59') consolidated the victory. Sandeep Singh (21') and Hussain Mohd Dar (56') also got a goal each for Jammu & Kashmir. Goals for Hockey Arunachal were scored by Sandeep (30', 33') and Ucha Singh (22').
Hockey Punjab trounced Hockey Andhra Pradesh 7-1 in their Pool D encounter. Hockey Punjab started their onslaught early, with captain Rupinder Pal Singh slotting home a PC as early as the 2nd minute of the game. From thereon, goals by Lovepreet Jainth (5'), Ranjot Singh (19'), Sudarshan Singh (29', 55'), Parampreet Singh (40') and Sankalp Singh (42') ensured they secured the three points. Hockey Andhra Pradesh's solitary goal was scored by Venkata Sree Aripineni Balaji in the 26th minute.
In Pool E, Hockey Chandigarh took on Manipur Hockey in the highlight game of the day -- a battle among equals. After a goalless two quarters, where both sides defended resolutely, calling their keepers into action more than once, the game hung on a knife-edge. It was Chandigarh that broke the deadlock in the third quarter, Amandeep finishing off a sweeping move in the 42nd minute to give them the lead. It was a lead they hung on to, despite a flood of Manipur pressure to secure three points and jump to top of the group.
In Pool E's second game, Hockey Rajasthan overwhelmed Tripura Hockey to win 18-0. A double hat trick by Vijendra Singh (25', 28', 40', 48', 50', 57') was the highlight of a game where eight Rajasthan players got goals. Shyam Singh Chouhan (14', 52', 53', 58'), Hashanpreet Singh (12', 45'), Karanjot Singh Mann (16', 44'), Captain Chandransh Sharma (34'), Akhtar Shoyab Qureshi (39'), Chetan Kalot (43') and Amit Kumar Saini (59') were among the goalscorers as Rajasthan took three points.
Delhi Hockey and Hockey Madhya Pradesh played out a back and forth encounter in Pool B in the final game of the day, Delhi edging out the points, winning 3-2. In the frenetic encounter, it was Madhya Pradesh who struck first, Shaun Glen Gladwin scoring in the 19th minute to give them the lead.
From there though Delhi took control of the game, Dheeraj Vats (29') and Mohammad Altaf (48') to give them the lead. Delhi held on to their slender lead for a majority of the final quarter, but with two minutes to go, Ayush Pethe struck the equalizer, and at that point, it looked the two would share the spoils. But there was enough time for one last twist, as Delhi pushed for the winner, and in the 60th minute Braj Gopal finished off a sublime move to give his team the victory, and the three points.
Hockey Andaman and Nicobar forfeit their Pool D game against Hockey Uttarakhand who were awarded a 5-0 win by default. (ANI)