7th Sub Junior National Hockey Men C'ship: Punjab beat Maharashtra 8-1

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 15 (ANI): Hockey Punjab trounced Hockey Maharashtra 8-1 in their Pool C encounter on Day 5 of the ongoing 7th Sub Junior National Hockey Championship 2017 (Men) A Division on Saturday. A hat-trick for captain Raman Kumar (54', 64', 67') and a brace by Parteek Sharma (19', 24') marked an outstanding performance by Hockey Punjab, one that solidified their position in the table. In Pool A, Hockey Gangpur - Odisha dished out a similar performance against Hockey Andhra Pradesh, outclassing them 8-1 to take the three points. Sudeep Chirmako scored a hat trick (4', 16', 49') and Amandeep Lakra bagged a brace (40', 43') in an outstanding performance from Hockey Gangpur - Odisha. In Pool A's second game of the day, Hockey Odisha and Sports Authority of India played out a memorable 1-1 draw. After a goal less first half, largely devoid of any clear and open chances for either side, Ankush opened the scoring for Sports Authority of India in the 43rd minute, smartly converting a PC. Within a minute though, Hockey Odisha had equalized with Deepak Gowala scoring to restore parity. The two teams were inseparable at the final whistle, splitting the points. In Pool B, Uttar Pradesh Hockey beat Hockey Haryana 1-0 in a match with very fine margins. The two teams were constantly negating the other's influence on the game, and defending superbly to restrict chances. In the 42nd minute though, Akhtar Ali smartly unlocked Hockey Haryana's defence to score the opener for Uttar Pradesh Hockey. The goal would prove to be the winner, as Uttar Pradesh Hockey took the three points. In Pool D, hosts Hockey Karnataka drew against Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy. First half didn't have any goals despite several attempts. Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy opened the scoring in 46th minute with Shailendra Singh converting a PC. Three minutes later, the lead was cancelled via another PC, this time from Subal Kerketta from Hockey Karnataka as the team split points. In the 7th Junior National Hockey Championship 2017 (Women) A Division 3/4th Place match, Hockey Jharkhand defeated Hockey Punjab 4-1. While Hockey Punjab opened the scoring as early as in the 4th minute via Gurkamalpreet Kaur, Hockey Jharkhand replied back with three goals in the first half to virtually seal the deal. Sangita Kumari's hat-trick (11', 13', 32', 55') ensured Hockey Jharkhand took the bronze medal. (ANI)