MARGAO
Hockey Uttar Pradesh clinched the 12th Junior Hockey India Sub-Junior Men National Championship at the Hockey Astro Turf, Peddem Sports Complex, Mapusa, on Sunday.
The winners scored a three-goal win over defending champions Jharkhand. Amidst the hype and cheering, the match kicked off with both teams battling it out for ball possession with Jharkhand getting the better of their counterparts.
A few midfield errors from Jharkhand led to them giving away easy ball possession from which UP took over and it led to the first goal of the final courtesy Sharukh Ali in the 10th minute. Jharkhand looked to make a quickfire comeback but were met with feisty tackles from the UP lads and a counter attack soon led to another goal for the big match player Shahrukh Ali, who bagged his second goal of the game and the pressure was now on Jharkhand to mount a comeback with three quarters remaining.
A second quarter filled with aggressive play from both sides wowed the spectators but there were no goals from either side. The third quarter saw a hungry Jharkhand try their best to make a comeback but the rock-solid UP defence put not just their sticks but also their bodies on the line with two green cards and a yellow card being issued to the UP cavalry.
The Jharkhand boys kept on creating chances with the time ticking and the championship slipping out of their hands. The third quarter also concluded with no goals from either side, leaving scope for a possible comeback from the defending champions.
As the fourth quarter begun, the UP lads looked pumped up to make a comeback but their enthusiasm was cut short by another goal by Sharukh Ali who notched up a hat-trick and sealed the deal for the central Indian side. The final horn went off and the celebrations begun in the UP camp with slogans and war cries echoing through the gloomy Mapusa sky.
In the third place match earlier in the day, Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Hockey Haryana 5-2.
