New Delhi, Mar 23 (IANS): Top teams Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Andhra Pradesh and Kerala Hockey won their respective matches in the 1st Hockey India Junior Men's Zonal Championships 2023 that continued on Thursday.
Hockey Jharkhand and the Hockey Association of Odisha also registered victories in their respective matches in the North, South, East, and West Zones.
North Zone: UP Hockey beat Punjab
Uttar Pradesh Hockey beat Hockey Punjab 4-3 in the North Zone championships. The nail-biter match saw Harmanjit Singh (24') open the account for Hockey Punjab followed by goals from Prabjot Singh (44') and team captain Manmeet Singh (53').
Uttar Pradesh Hockey fought back valiantly through goals from Mohd Kaif (34'), Shahrukh Ali (39'), and Ajeet Yadav (48'). It was Siddhant Singh's (58') last-minute penalty corner conversion that saw Uttar Pradesh Hockey steal all three points on the day.
The second match saw Hockey Chandigarh and Hockey Haryana play out the first draw of the championship with the match ending at 4-4. Gurpreet Singh (6', 21', 40') ran the show for Hockey Chandigarh, with assistance from Prabjot Singh Saini (37') while the goal scorers for Hockey Haryana were Sunil Maan (13', 41'), Sahil (44') and Rohit Khatri (56').
The third match between Hockey Uttarakhand and Hockey Himachal was forfeited 5-0, in the favour of Hockey Uttarakhand.
South Zone: Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh win
Hockey Karnataka defeated the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu 4-2 in the first match of the day in the South Zone Championships at Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu. Hockey Karnataka took a commanding lead through goals from Team Captain Pavan DR (10', 12'), Shrijith K.C (23'), and Dhanush Shane D (40'). The Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu started to mount a comeback after team captain Srinivasan M (43', 47') scored two quick goals but failed to change the outcome on the day.
In the second game, Kerala Hockey defeated Telangana Hockey by a 3-0 scoreline. The goal scorers were Rohit Lakra (34', 55') and Ashish Lakra (40').
The last match of the day saw Hockey Andhra Pradesh take on Le Puducherry and win by a 4-1 margin. The goal scorers for Hockey Andhra Pradesh were Kotaru Teja (4', 10', 43') and Giduturi Sai (49') while Team Captain Karthik J (38') scored the lone goal for Le Puducherry Hockey.
East Zone: Jharkhand, Odisha continue winning run
The first match of the day in the East Zone Championship in Khunti (Ranchi), saw the Hockey Association of Odisha take on Hockey Bengal and emerge 10-0 victors. The goal scorers were Anmol Ekka (8', 12', 43'), Sanjit Tirkey (13', 14'), Binit Xalxo (17'), Aryan Xess (22'), Premdayal Giri (27'), Deepak Pradhan (50') and Abhishek Kispotta (60').
The second match saw Hockey Jharkhand register a comfortable 10-0 win against Assam Hockey. Adisan Minj (5', 19'), Joseph Dhodray (9'), Mangra Dohdray (25', 50'), Roshan Ekka (27', 38', 44'), and Abhishek Tigga (48', 60') were the goalscorers for Hockey Jharkhand.
West Zone: MP, Rajasthan play out a 3-3 draw
Hockey Rajasthan drew with Hockey Madhya Pradesh 3-3 in the only match of the day in the West Zone Championship in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh. Deepu Choudhary (3'), Radheshyam Jat (42'), and Ashish Bairgi (58') scored for Hockey Rajasthan while Yogesh Punde (10'), Prashant Rajput (14') and Tushar Parmar (24') scored for Hockey Madhya Pradesh.